NASA Deep Space Network

The NASA Deep Space Network

The NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) is a special group of places that help NASA talk to its spacecraft far out in space. There are three main places: one near Barstow, California, called the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex; another west of Madrid, Spain, called the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex; and a third near Canberra, Australia, called the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC). These places are in quiet, hilly areas to stay away from noisy radio signals.

These special places help NASA control its space probes, receive pictures and information from them, and send new instructions. They use large, movable antennas to send and receive signals. The DSN works with space networks from other countries, like Europe, so missions get better support. All these places talk to a central operations center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where teams watch over the network and make sure everything runs well.

The DSN uses powerful radio signals to study the Solar System and the universe. This helps scientists learn about stars, planets, and many other exciting things. The DSN has been helping NASA since 1958, when it began to track the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1. It has helped many important missions, including the Apollo 13 trip to the Moon.

The DSN has big dishes called antennas to talk to spacecraft far away in space. Each location has at least four big dishes. These dishes can be 34 meters (about 112 feet) across or one very big dish that is 70 meters (about 230 feet) across. Even though the big 70-meter antennas are getting older, NASA is fixing them so they can keep working for many more years.