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 Featured Sols 4214–4215: The Best Laid Plans...3 min readSols 4214–4215: The Best Laid Plans...article3 days ago Hubble Observes a Cosmic Fossil2 min readHubble Observes a Cosmic Fossilarticle3 days ago Voyager 1 Returning Science Data From All Four Instruments2 min readVoyager 1 Returning Science Data From All Four Instrumentsarticle3 days ago
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 Highlights A large propeller plane takes off from a runway, surrounded by brown and green grasses with low buildings out of focus in the background. The plane is white with a blue stripe down the middle, and has a NASA logo on the tail. The sky is a hazy blue with some clouds.

	2 min read

		NASA-Led Mission to Map Air Pollution Over Both U.S. Coasts

		article

			3 days ago Students watch a sounding rocket launch at sunrise.

	4 min read

		NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility to Launch Student Experiments

		article

			3 days ago NASA’s Hubble Restarts Science in New Pointing Mode

	3 min read

		NASA’s Hubble Restarts Science in New Pointing Mode

		article

			3 days ago
 Highlights A woman with long, wavy hair and a bright smile sits at a round table during a formal event, surrounded by other attendees. She is wearing a brown cardigan and a patterned blouse.

	5 min read

		Lakita Lowe: Leading Space Commercialization Innovations and Fostering STEM Engagement

		article

			5 days ago NASA’s Repository Supports Research of Commercial Astronaut Health

	2 min read

		NASA’s Repository Supports Research of Commercial Astronaut Health

		article

			6 days ago NASA astronaut Doug “Wheels” Wheelock and Axiom Space astronaut Peggy Whitson prepare for a test of full-scale mockups of spacesuits developed by Axiom Space and SpaceX’s Starship human landing system developed for NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.

	4 min read

		NASA Astronauts Practice Next Giant Leap for Artemis

		article

			2 weeks ago
 Highlights A large propeller plane takes off from a runway, surrounded by brown and green grasses with low buildings out of focus in the background. The plane is white with a blue stripe down the middle, and has a NASA logo on the tail. The sky is a hazy blue with some clouds.

	2 min read

		NASA-Led Mission to Map Air Pollution Over Both U.S. Coasts

		article

			3 days ago NASA Announces New System to Aid Disaster Response

	4 min read

		NASA Announces New System to Aid Disaster Response

		article

			4 days ago Amendment 21: A.3 Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry: NSPIRES cover page issue and Delay of Proposal Due Date

	2 min read

		Amendment 21: A.3 Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry: NSPIRES cover page issue and Delay of Proposal Due Date

		article

			5 days ago
 Highlights The Next Full Moon is the Strawberry Moon

	17 min read

		The Next Full Moon is the Strawberry Moon

		article

			3 days ago Mars Dunes

	5 min read

		NASA’s Perseverance Fords an Ancient River to Reach Science Target

		article

			4 days ago Ed Stone, former director of JPL and project scientist for the Voyager mission, died on June 9, 2024. A friend, mentor, and colleague to many, he was known for his straightforward leadership and commitment to communicating with the public.

	5 min read

		Ed Stone, Former Director of JPL, Voyager Project Scientist, Dies

		article

			6 days ago
 Featured Hubble Observes a Cosmic Fossil

	2 min read

		Hubble Observes a Cosmic Fossil

		article

			3 days ago WL20 group of stars is located in the Rho Ophiuchi star-forming region

	5 min read

		NASA’s Webb Reveals Long-Studied Star Is Actually Twins

		article

			4 days ago Artist's illustration of a star system near the Sun that is close enough to Earth for exoplanets in their habitable zones to be directly imaged using future telescopes.

	4 min read

		Coming in Hot — NASA’s Chandra Checks Habitability of Exoplanets

		article

			5 days ago
 Highlights Hubble Observes a Cosmic Fossil

	2 min read

		Hubble Observes a Cosmic Fossil

		article

			3 days ago Voyager 1 Returning Science Data From All Four Instruments

	2 min read

		Voyager 1 Returning Science Data From All Four Instruments

		article

			3 days ago WL20 group of stars is located in the Rho Ophiuchi star-forming region

	5 min read

		NASA’s Webb Reveals Long-Studied Star Is Actually Twins

		article

			4 days ago
 Highlights Illustration showing several future aircraft concepts flying over a mid-sized city with a handful of skyscrapers.

	7 min read

		ARMD Solicitations

		article

			2 weeks ago Team “Rumble Ready” from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, comprised of (from left to right) Professor Mark Gonda, Nicole Xie, Junaid Bodla, Jordan Ragsac, Krishi Gajjar, Gerald McAllister III, and Leara Dominguez, took home first place at the 2024 Gateways to Blue Skies Forum held May 30-31 at NASA Ames Research Center. They are standing in a row posing for the photo; the team members are wearing blue t-shirts, black pants, and tennis shoes.

	4 min read

		Winners Announced in Gateways to Blue Skies Aeronautics Competition

		article

			2 weeks ago Graphic shows a possible future General Electric jet engine with exposed fan blades in front of a cut-away-interior view of its core mechanisms -- all part of NASA's HyTEC research project.

	4 min read

		NASA, Industry to Start Designing More Sustainable Jet Engine Core

		article

			4 weeks ago
 Highlights Simulated Roman image full of synthetic galaxies

	6 min read

		NASA’s Roman Mission Gets Cosmic ‘Sneak Peek’ From Supercomputers

		article

			5 days ago Ed Stone, former director of JPL and project scientist for the Voyager mission, died on June 9, 2024. A friend, mentor, and colleague to many, he was known for his straightforward leadership and commitment to communicating with the public.

	5 min read

		Ed Stone, Former Director of JPL, Voyager Project Scientist, Dies

		article

			6 days ago Astronaut-packaged cheese sandwiches

	2 min read

		Food Safety Program for Space Has Taken Over on Earth

		article

			7 days ago
 Featured A team from Iowa accepts its Artemis grand prize award during NASA’s Lunabotics competition on Friday, May 17, 2024, at the Center for Space Education near the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

	5 min read

		Artemis Generation Shines During NASA’s 2024 Lunabotics Challenge

		article
			2 weeks ago
 Highlights Students watch a sounding rocket launch at sunrise.

	4 min read

		NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility to Launch Student Experiments

		article

			3 days ago A large propeller plane takes off from a runway, surrounded by brown and green grasses with low buildings out of focus in the background. The plane is white with a blue stripe down the middle, and has a NASA logo on the tail. The sky is a hazy blue with some clouds.

	2 min read

		NASA-Led Mission to Map Air Pollution Over Both U.S. Coasts

		article

			3 days ago NASA astronaut and Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Victor Glover reviews procedures on a computer for the Monoclonal Antibodies Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) experiment inside the Harmony module.

	2 min read

		NASA Joins National Space Council in Celebration of Black Space Week

		article

			3 days ago
 Highlights NASA Astronaut Official Portrait Frank Rubio

	5 min read

		Astronauta de la NASA Frank Rubio

		article

			3 days ago 2021 Astronaut Candidates Stand in Recognition

	6 min read

		Diez maneras en que los estudiantes pueden prepararse para ser astronautas

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			3 months ago Astronaut Marcos Berrios

	4 min read

		Astronauta de la NASA Marcos Berríos

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			3 months ago


SCaN Program SCaN ProgramSCaN MissionsContact SCaN
 Three Deep Space Network antennas point in various directions, lit in soft pink and purple tones by the setting Sun.
 Two Near Space Network antennas point toward a cloudy sky as they tower over neighboring trees. A mountain range stretches across the horizon in the background.
 The Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex stretches across a lush, green landscape. Several antennas can be seen towering over surrounding buildings and roads.
 Space Communications and Navigation  (SCaN) NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation program, or SCaN, serves as the program office for all of NASA’s space communications operations. Over 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on SCaN’s two networks, the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, to monitor Earth’s weather and effects of climate changes, support lunar exploration, uncover the solar system and beyond, and peer back in time to understand the origins of the universe.
 Communicating with Missions about Space Communications and Navigation  (SCaN)
 Latest News
 More SCaN News
 Article5 Min ReadNASA’s Laser Relay System Sends Pet Imagery to, from Space Station
 Article6 Min ReadNASA’s Optical Comms Demo Transmits Data Over 140 Million Miles
 4 Min ReadNASA’s Near Space Network Enables PACE Climate Mission to ‘Phone Home’Article 1 Min ReadIntroduction to SpectrumArticle 4 Min ReadCommunications Services ProjectArticle
 Our Vision SCaN aims to build and maintain a scalable integrated mission support infrastructure that can readily evolve to accommodate new and changing technologies, while providing comprehensive, robust, cost-effective and exponentially higher data rate space communications services to enable NASA's science, space operations and exploration missions. Learn More                                    about Our Vision
  A 111-foot (34-meter) antenna points toward a bright blue sky. Mountains and several clouds can be seen in the background.
 Focus Areas
 SCaN provides communications and navigation services that are essential to the operation of NASA's spaceflight missions. Accordingly, SCaN has developed goals and objectives that support the program's role in the agency's long-term strategy.
 A map graphic displays the location of all SCaN communications complexes around the world.
 Services and Scheduling
 SCaN offers a comprehensive set of standard services based upon its charter to provide communications and navigation for its customers from launch through the entire mission life cycle. Read More
 A 112-foot-wide antenna at Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex near Canberra, Australia.
 Commercialization
 SCaN is transforming its near space communications services and seeking to engage the commercial industry for both Direct-to-Earth and space relay communication services. Read More
 A rainbow and the word "SPECTRUM" overlays an image of a Deep Space Network antenna.
 Spectrum Management
 Virtually every endeavor that NASA undertakes requires communications or data transfer via the electromagnetic spectrum. NASA relies solely on the SCaN program to provide this vital service to all of its missions. Read More
 Fall 2010, software engineers work in the background of the West High Bay area of the Power Systems Facility as Glenn Research Center technician, Joe Kerka rotates the SCAN Testbed flight enclosure assembly using a specially manufactured mount. Flight components can be seen inside the flight enclosure. The SCAN Testbed will be launched on a Japanese H–IIB Transfer Vehicle and installed on the International Space Station (ISS) providing an on-orbit, adaptable software-defined radio (SDR) facility with corresponding ground and operational systems. This will permit mission operators to remotely change the functionality of radio communications through software once deployed to space, offering them flexibility to adapt to new science opportunities and recover from anomalies within the science payload or communication system. This effort is sponsored by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program as part of the Communications, Navigation, and Networking reConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT) Project led by Glenn Research Center.
 Systems Engineering and Technology
 SCaN is at the forefront of space communications and navigation technology development, pushing the boundaries of what's possible to better enable space and science missions. Read More
 ILLUMA-T and LCRD communicating over red laser links.
 Optical Communications
 NASA is developing optical, or laser, communications to address limitations of radio frequency communications, including: bandwidth, spectrum and overall size of frequency packages and power used. Read More
 An intern tests equipment in a quantum lab.
 Quantum Communications
 Rapid advances in quantum optics have recently enabled space-based demonstrations of new communications and networking technologies and protocols. Read More
 A mentor leans over the computer of two students who watch intently.
 Outreach
 SCaN supports NASA's education goal of promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. Read More
 GPS and PNT Policy
 SCaN leads in the development of NASA’s overall navigation capability through spectrum coordination, data standards development, external coordination, and appropriate systems engineering, architecture development, and research and development of GPS applications. Read More
 A 230-foot (70-meter) antenna lights up a dark blue sky at dusk. The antenna is pointed toward the sky with dark mountains in the background.
 Our Networks
 Through our two networks, the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, SCaN enables over 100 NASA and non-NASA missions, including those close to home and those exploring beyond our solar system. Read More
 Communications Services Project
 CSP aims to deliver innovative capabilities to meet NASA mission needs, while simultaneously supporting the growing commercial space communications market in the United States. Read More
 LunaNet Interoperability Specification
 The purpose of the LunaNet Interoperability Specification (LNIS) is to define a framework of mutually agreed-upon standards to be applied... Read the Story
 Getting to Know SCaN
 Leadership
 Learn more about the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program leadership.
 A graphic of three Near Space Network antennas with a purple overlay. Text on the graphic reads: "We Are SCaN"
 Organization Chart
 View the SCaN organization chart.
 A NASA logo sits in the center of the graphic surrounded by partner logos including the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Space Generation Advisory Council, the International Telecommunication Union, the Interagency Operations Advisory Group, the Space-Based Positioning Navigation and Timing National Executive Committee, the Space Frequency Coordination Group, and the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems.
 Partners
 In order to achieve NASA’s goals with regards to space communication and navigation, the SCaN program works and collaborates with many national and international organizations and their partners.
 Deep Space Station 43, a massive white antenna, points to a clear, bright blue sky. Mountains stretch across the horizon in the background.
 Contact
 Are you a NASA Mission Manager needing more information? Do you want to know more about what we do in SCaN? Are you an educator or student looking to get involved? Do you represent a policy body and need more information? Have another type of question or comment?
 Our Impact From enabling the transfer of ground-breaking images and data from space to the scientific community, to the dissemination of new communications technologies to the public, NASA's SCaN program has made a broad and lasting impact on society. Learn More About Our Impact                                    about Our Impact
  Image of an astronaut in space
 SCaN Internship Project Open to students 16 and older, the SCaN Internship Project allows students to perform hands-on training with real mission scenarios, analyze powerful space communication systems, utilize network software tools, and effectively communicate their findings in a final presentation to NASA management. Learn More
 A group of interns stand beneath an antenna and a bright blue sky. NASA
 NASA Centers Supporting SCaN
 See All
 NASA Headquarters
 Location Washington, DC
 Founded July 29th, 1958
 People 2,463
 Director Nichole Pinkney
 Glenn Research Center
 Location Cleveland, Ohio
 Founded January 23rd, 1941
 People 3,200
 Director Dr. James Kenyon
 Goddard Space Flight Center
 Location Greenbelt
 Founded May 1st, 1959
 People 10,000
 Director Makenzie Lystrup
 Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 Location Pasadena, California
 Founded October 31st, 1936
 People 6,000
 Director Dr. Laurie Leshin
 Ames Research Center
 Location
 Founded
 People
 Director
 Johnson Space Center
 Location Houston
 Founded November 1st, 1961
 People 11,000
 Director Vanessa E. Wyche
 Stennis Space Center
 Location Stennis Space Center, Mississippi
 Founded October 25th, 1961
 People 5,000
 Director Dr. Richard Gilbrech
 Marshall Space Flight Center
 Location Huntsville, AL
 Founded July 1st, 1960
 People 7,000
 Director Joseph Pelfrey
 Kennedy Space Center
 Location Kennedy Space Center, Florida
 Founded July 1st, 1962
 People 10,000
 Director Janet Petro
 Langley Research Center
 Location Hampton, Virginia
 Founded
 People
 Director
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 Artemis I: Demonstrating the Capabilities of NASA’s United Networks
 Editor’s note: This feature was updated on June 23, 2021 to reflect a reorganization of NASA network assets. On our journey... Read the Story
 NASA’s Communications Networks
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 Page Last Updated:
								Jun 13, 2024
							Page Editor:
								Jermaine Walker
												Responsible NASA Official:
							Abigail Bowman