The development of radar telescopes is a result of advances made in the field of Early-stage space exploration. While radio waves can often be detected by humans, they are not particularly effective in penetrating the surrounding atmosphere, which can limit the amount of information that can be gleaned from a scan. In contrast, microwaves are able to travel through clouds and other atmospheric particles, allowing astronomers to view faraway objects without having to rely on light reflections from the surface.

Radar telescopes can also be used to peer inside black holes, as the intense beams of microwaves emitted from the telescope can pass through the event horizon and emerge from the other side.