{"id":71349,"date":"2021-01-22T19:21:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T23:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-467731"},"modified":"2023-09-19T19:56:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T23:56:55","slug":"nasas-deep-space-network-welcomes-a-new-dish-to-the-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/jpl\/nasas-deep-space-network-welcomes-a-new-dish-to-the-family\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Deep Space Network Welcomes a New Dish to the Family"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"781\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Deep Space Station 56, or DSS-56, at night\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg?resize=900,675 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Deep Space Station 56, or DSS-56, is a powerful 34-meter-wide (112-foot-wide) antenna that was added to the Deep Space Network’s Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex in Spain in early 2021.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>The addition brings new capabilities to the network, which acts as an interplanetary switchboard, connecting us to missions at the Moon and far beyond.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A powerful new antenna has been added to the NASA Space Communications and Navigation\u2019s Deep Space Network (DSN), which connects us to the space robots exploring our solar system. Called Deep Space Station 56, or DSS-56, the dish is now online and ready to communicate with a variety of missions, including NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover when it lands on the Red Planet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/news.php?feature=7806\" rel=\"noopener\">next month<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new 34-meter-wide (112-foot-wide) dish has been under construction at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdscc.nasa.gov\/index.php\/en\/start\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex<\/a> in Spain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/heo\/scan\/services\/networks\/DSS53_DSS56_gallery\/56_groundbreaking\" rel=\"noopener\">since 2017<\/a>. Existing antennas are limited in the frequency bands they can receive and transmit, often restricting them to communicating only with specific spacecraft. DSS-56 is the first to use the Deep Space Network\u2019s full range of communication frequencies as soon as it went online. This means DSS-56 is an \u201call-in-one\u201d antenna that can communicate with all the missions that the DSN supports and can be used as a backup for any of the Madrid complex\u2019s other antennas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDSS-56 offers the Deep Space Network additional real-time flexibility and reliability,\u201d said Badri Younes, deputy associate administrator and program manager of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/heo\/scan\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA\u2019s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN)<\/a>. \u201cThis new asset symbolizes and underscores our ongoing support for more than 30 deep space missions who count on our services to enable their success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>You can check in on the which spacecraft the Deep Space Network\u2019s antennas are currently communicating with via the online application <a href=\"https:\/\/eyes.nasa.gov\/dsn\/dsn.html\" rel=\"noopener\">DSN Now<\/a>. Click on a dish to learn more about the live connection between the spacecraft and the ground. Image credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the addition of DSS-56 and other 34-meter antennas to all three DSN complexes around the world, the network is preparing to play a critical role in ensuring communication and navigation support for upcoming Moon and Mars missions and the crewed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/artemisprogram\" rel=\"noopener\">Artemis missions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Deep Space Network is vital to so much of what we do \u2013 and to what we plan to do \u2013 throughout the solar system. It\u2019s what connects us here on Earth to our distant robotic explorers, and, with the improvements that we\u2019re making to the network, it connects us to the future as well, expanding our capabilities as we prepare human missions for the Moon and beyond,\u201d said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA\u2019s headquarters in Washington. \u201cThis latest antenna was built as an international partnership and will ultimately benefit all of humanity as we continue to explore deep space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With DSS-56\u2019s increased flexibility came a more complex start-up phase, which included testing and calibration of a larger suite of systems, before the antenna could go online. On Friday, Jan. 22, the international partners who oversaw the antenna\u2019s construction attended a virtual ribbon-cutting event to officially mark the occasion \u2013 an event that had been delayed due to <a href=\"https:\/\/earthobservatory.nasa.gov\/images\/147768\/heavy-snowfall-blankets-spain\" rel=\"noopener\">historic snowfall<\/a> blanketing much of Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"1561\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Three eye-catching posters featuring the larger 70-meter (230-feet) antennas\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg?resize=768,1152 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg?resize=683,1024 683w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg?resize=1024,1536 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg?resize=267,400 267w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg?resize=400,600 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg?resize=600,900 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/e2-deep_space_network_12x18_posters_final-1041.jpg?resize=800,1200 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Three eye-catching posters featuring the larger 70-meter (230-feet) antennas located at the three Deep Space Network complexes around the world are\u00a0available for download here.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cAfter the lengthy process of commissioning, the DSN\u2019s most capable 34-meter antenna is now talking with our spacecraft,\u201d said Bradford Arnold, DSN project manager at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. \u201cEven though pandemic restrictions and the recent weather conditions in Spain have been significant challenges, the staff in Madrid persevered, and I am proud to welcome DSS-56 to the global DSN family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>More About the Deep Space Network<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to Spain, the Deep Space Network has ground stations in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gdscc.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">California (Goldstone)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdscc.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Australia (Canberra)<\/a>. This configuration allows mission controllers to communicate with spacecraft throughout the solar system at all times during Earth\u2019s rotation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The forerunner to the DSN was established in January 1958 when JPL was contracted by the U.S. Army to deploy portable radio tracking stations in California, Nigeria, and Singapore to receive telemetry of the first successful U.S. satellite, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/missions\/explorer-1\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Explorer 1<\/a>. Shortly after JPL was transferred to NASA on Dec. 3, 1958, the newly-formed U.S. civilian space program established the Deep Space Network to communicate with all deep space missions. It has been in continuous operation since 1963 and remains the backbone of deep space communications for NASA and international missions, supporting historic events such as the Apollo Moon landings and checking in on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/jpl\/nasas-deep-space-station-in-australia-is-getting-an-upgrade\" rel=\"noopener\">interstellar explorers<\/a>, Voyager 1 and 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Deep Space Network is managed by JPL for SCaN, which is located at NASA\u2019s headquarters within the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The Madrid station is managed on NASA\u2019s behalf by Spain\u2019s national research organization, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inta.es\/INTA\/en\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Instituto Nacional de T\u00e9cnica Aeroespacial<\/a> (National Institute of Aerospace Technology). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ian J. O\u2019Neill<br><\/strong> Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.<br> 818-354-2649<br> <a href=\"mailto:ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov\">ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The addition brings new capabilities to the network, which acts as an interplanetary switchboard, connecting us to missions at the Moon and far beyond. A powerful new antenna has been added to the NASA Space Communications and Navigation\u2019s Deep Space Network (DSN), which connects us to the space robots exploring our solar system. Called Deep [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":76228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2860,10576,3316,2661],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[8605,12642,8612],"coauthors":[12651],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA\u2019s Deep Space Network Welcomes a New Dish to the Family","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/jpl\/nasas-deep-space-network-welcomes-a-new-dish-to-the-family\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/jpl\/nasas-deep-space-network-welcomes-a-new-dish-to-the-family\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jet Propulsion Laboratory"}],"creator":["Jet Propulsion Laboratory"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Technology","Jet Propulsion Laboratory","Communicating and Navigating with Missions","Deep Space Network"],"dateCreated":"2021-01-22T23:21:00Z","datePublished":"2021-01-22T23:21:00Z","dateModified":"2023-09-19T23:56:55Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA\u2019s Deep Space Network Welcomes a New Dish to the Family\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/jpl\/nasas-deep-space-network-welcomes-a-new-dish-to-the-family\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2021-01-22T23:21:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Technology,Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Communicating and Navigating with Missions,Deep Space Network\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Jet Propulsion Laboratory\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"3 years","featured_image":{"id":76228,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041.jpg","title":"1_pia24163-antenna-at-night-1041","alt":"Deep Space Station 56, or DSS-56, at night","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71349"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71349"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":511999,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71349\/revisions\/511999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71349"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=71349"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=71349"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=71349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}