New trihedral corner reflectors, designed and built to Antarctic specifications by a specialist company in the United States, will soon be installed at each of Australia's Antarctic stations.

These precisely engineered instruments act as a landmark for satellites that use radar to generate detailed images of Earth’s landscapes (such as vegetation, glaciers and Antarctic stations).

The trihedral reflectors bounce radar signals back to the satellite, allowing it to pinpoint locations on the ground, even in winter darkness. This allows scientists to detect and measure small changes in landscapes over time.

A triangular metal radar reflector being assembled in a workshop
Assembling a trihedral corner reflector. Photo: Wendy Pyper

These new reflectors will provide a ground reference points for the newly launched NISAR satellite, which will capture information right across Antarctica, but they can be adjusted for other satellites as well.

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