HF Bistatic Radar Experiments with HAARP, UNM-LWA and OVRO-LWA for Planetary and Near-Earth Asteroid Science

We describe three HF(9.6MHz) bistatic radar experiments that were conducted in 2022 with the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility and the University of New Mexico Long Wavelength Array (UNM-LWA) and the Owens Valley Radio Observatory Long Wavelength Array (OVRO-LWA). The purpose of these experiments was to understand the potential for using these facilities in a bistatic radar mode for planetary science investigations, specifically, near-Earth asteroid interior sensing (cislunar and Apophis 2029 flyby). We conducted two Moon-bounce experiments as well as the first asteroid detection experiment at 9.6 MHz using ~1.25 GW EIRP transmissions of FMCW radar chirps. We attempted to detect asteroid 2010 XC15 at 2 Lunar distances for which several hours of coherent processing are required for a positive signal to noise ratio. Data are still under analysis but future experiments at these wavelengths may have to target asteroids that approach closer than 2 Lunar distances. In addition, the processing of received waveforms revealed ionosphere effects that suggest the potential for using these facilities for future ionospheric research.