RainCube and its legacy for the next generation of spaceborne cloud and precipitation radars

The multidimensional challenge of observing cloud and precipitation processes from space has motivated and focused a number of technological developments in the last decade. They span from novel compact instrument architectures to modular millimeter wave phased array solutions. In this paper we summarize the main capabilities offered by three instruments from this new generation, and discuss how they affect formulation of future observing systems.