NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) is a network of antennas located around the world that work together to communicate with spacecraft in outer space. DSN consists of three major components: the 70-meter dish at Goldstone, California; the 70-meter dish near Canberra, Australia; and the 70-meter dish in Madrid, Spain. These dishes are connected via a worldwide communications system called the Deep Space Network Operations Center (DSNOC).
In August 2018, the DSN was put to the test when a malfunctioning antenna in Madrid, Spain, failed to properly align with its counterpart in Canberra, Australia. The problem was traced back to increased friction between two parts of the antenna.
Engineers were able to fix the issue by replacing the faulty part of the antenna. However, they had to wait until October before the repairs could be completed.
According to NASA, the DSN is responsible for communicating with over 100 spacecraft each year.
The DSN is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is part of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
JPL manages the DSN under contract to NASA’s Radio Physics Division.
The DSN is funded by NASA’s Office of Communications and Information Systems.
The DSN is operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
The DSN is named after the first Deep Space Network, which was built by the United States Air Force in the 1960s.
The DSN is sometimes referred to as the Deep Space Network, although the name is officially pronounced “Deep Space Niner.”
The DSN is often abbreviated as “DSN,” which stands for “deep space network.”
The DSN is also known as the “Space Station Connection Network.”
The DSN is not affiliated with any particular religion.
The DSN is home to the largest fully steerable parabolic dish in the world.
