The "Dish" Radio Antenna Facility

Constructed by SRI in the early 1960s for the U.S. Department of Defense, and located on land leased from Stanford University, the 150-foot diameter radio reflector antenna has become known locally as “the Dish.”

photo of the Dish facility
At completion, the Dish was the third-largest antenna of its kind.
photo of the Dish facility
close-up of the Dish track
close-up of the Dish showing relative size to a man
close-up of the Dish

Constructed by SRI in the early 1960s for the U.S. Department of Defense, and located on land leased from Stanford University, the 150-foot diameter radio reflector antenna has become known locally as “the Dish.” The Dish, which is owned by the U.S. government, is operated and maintained by SRI.

It is used for satellite calibrations, spacecraft command and telemetry, radio astronomy measurements, and weak signal detection and the related diagnosis of spacecraft conditions. The Dish has unique capabilities in

  • Frequency coverage
  • Tracking speed
  • Extracting weak signals from noise
  • Transmitting range

 

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