The cost to construct the antenna was $4.5 million, and was funded by the United States Air Force.

[1] In the 1960s the Dish was used to provide information on Soviet radar installations by detecting radio signals bounced off the moon.

With its unique bistatic range radio communications, where the transmitter and receiver are separate units, the powerful radar antenna was well-suited for communicating with spacecraft in regions where conventional radio signals may be disrupted.

[3] At one point, the Dish transmitted signals to each of the Voyager craft that NASA dispatched into the outer reaches of the solar system.

[7] The area around the Dish offers a popular 3.5 mile recreational trail, visited by an average of 1,500–1,800 people daily.