A major aspect of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) involves searching for electromagnetic transmissions from extraterrestrial sources, often using our own transmissions as a guide. Previous studies have suggested that humanity’s most consistently detectable technosignatures were transmissions from our deep-space networks and interplanetary radar. In this study, we analyze NASA Deep Space Network logs to explore what strategies for selecting SETI targets and scheduling observations would enhance the chances of detecting such networks…

These findings quantify how SETI searches might benefit from prioritizing edge-on exoplanet systems and aligning observation windows with exoplanetary conjunctions or planet–planet occultations because they significantly improve the likelihood of intercepting transmissions from any civilizations employing deep-space networks similar to our own.