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NASA Is Upgrading Its Deep Space Station in Australia
After 40 years of use, some of the network's components had become unreliable.
Science & Tech
Every once in a while, all structures require upgrades, especially those that ensure our communication with outer space. In March, NASA began such upgrades on the Deep Space Network, the agency's interplanetary switchboard that enables communications with our robotic spacecraft.
One of the network's largest antennas – Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43) in Canberra, Australia – recently received a new X-band frequency cone. Inside the cone are a powerful state-of-the-art transmitter system and highly sensitive receivers.
These will be used to send commands to spacecraft and receive telemetry and science data back from robotic missions exploring the solar system. The antenna is forty-eight years old and 70 meters (230 feet) wide.
Making the upgrades was no easy feat. Engineers used a giant crane to maneuver the 3-ton cone into the center of the massive dish after lifting it 20 stories from the ground. The antenna is also receiving upgrades to its water coolant system and its mechanical and electrical equipment.