Currently, EISCAT are deploying EISCAT_3D, the most advanced volumetric imaging radar for atmospheric, ionospheric and near-Earth space investigations. The tri-static, phased-array incoherent scatter radar is located in Skibotn (inland from Tromsø, Norway), Karesuvanto (Finland, north of Kiruna), and Kaiseniemi (Sweden, west of Kiruna).

EISCAT_3D follows the long legacy of EISCAT radars, which have been in operation near Tromsø since 1981 and on Svalbard since 1996. The Tromsø radars will be phased out once EISCAT_3D becomes operational. The EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) and the Ionospheric Heating facility at Tromsø will not be affected by EISCAT_3D becoming operational.

The new radar will be ideal for investigations of the coupling between mesosphere and thermosphere, ionosphere and neutral atmosphere, and atmosphere to near-Earth space: EISCAT_3D will have 3.4 MW transmit power from a fully computer-steerable, 10,000-antenna phased array. The remote receivers will probe the transmit beam at a large number of altitudes, defined by the experimenter, providing 3D vector velocities of plasma motion.

The beam direction can be changed from pulse to pulse allowing for simultaneous observations of a large area, e.g. in a meridional scan pattern or by probing a rectangular grid. Using these techniques, EISCAT_3D will be able to resolve the space-time ambiguity of upper-atmospheric and ionospheric processes in unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution.

Here we give an overview of the capabilities and the current status of EISCAT_3D. We will also comment on the recent transition of the EISCAT Scientific Association to a limited-liability company EISCAT AB.

EISCAT_3D is a European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Landmark in the Environment domain and part of the Horizon Europe project RI-SCALE "Unlocking Research Infrastructure Potential with Scalable AI and Data".