Title: Radar: from Ground to Space
Speaker: Renato Croci. Former Radar Chief Engineer, Thales Alenia Space
Date/Time: Tuesday 14 May 2024, 1900BST
Venue: BIS Headquarters, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, London, SW8 1SZ and Online
Registration: Coming soon
Abstract: In the late 1930s, Radar technology developed, independently, in many countries, pushed by the needs of the war which was rapidly approaching. The end of WWII saw Radar used almost everywhere, on ground, sea, and in the air.
With the beginning of the space era, Radar found its way to space, both as part of spacecraft avionics, for randez-vous and landing applications, and as a payload to sense the Earth and other planets. These radars are now widely used for imaging, monitoring precipitations, measuring wind and waves, to name but a few of its uses on Earth. Radars have been used to look through the clouds of Venus and Titan, and below the surface of Mars. This presentation tries to provide an overview of this fascinating story.
Biography: Renato Croci graduated P.I. in electronics in 1978 and, after military service, in 1980 joined Contraves Italiana, Rome. There, he worked on the design of RF/analog equipments for radar applications and, later, on radar systems integration. In 1992 he joined Alenia Spazio, Rome (now Thales Alenia Space Italia), where he was responsible for the RF and electrical design of the radar altimeter for the Envisat satellite, later covering similar roles on several other space projects.
He took on the roles of instrument architect for the SHARAD radar sounder for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and as payload manager for the Sentinel-1A Radar satellite. His last assignment in the engineering department he took technical responsibility for the RIME Radar sounder for the JUICE mission to the Jupiter System. He continued in this role till 2018, when he took charge, as “Radar Chief Engineer” within the Chief Technical Office. He retired in 2023. 
