Science
NASA expands Deep Space Network with new 34-meter antenna in California
Deep Space Station 23 at the Goldstone complex will communicate with dozens of robotic space missions and future lunar explorations.
The short version
- NASA has formally added Deep Space Station 23 (DSS-23), a 34-meter-wide radio frequency antenna, to its Goldstone complex in California.
- The new antenna began official operations on August 3, 2026, after completing a testing phase, and is communicating with spacecraft including Voyager 1 and Juno.
- DSS-23 is the fifth dish added under the Deep Space Network's Aperture Enhancement Project, which began in 2009 to modernize space communications infrastructure.
- The multi-antenna project is scheduled to conclude when a sixth antenna opens in Canberra, Australia, in 2029.
Key facts
- NASA held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 25, 2026, to mark the completion of Deep Space Station 23 (DSS-23) near Barstow, California.[NASA News]
- Construction on the 34-meter-wide antenna began in February 2020, followed by a testing campaign that ran from May through July 2026.[NASA News]
- DSS-23 began operations on August 3, 2026, initially tracking the Chandra X-ray Observatory before connecting with other active deep-space missions.[NASA News]
- The dish is the fifth antenna installed at the Goldstone facility and the fifth dish deployed as part of the Aperture Enhancement Project initiated in 2009.[NASA News]
- The project will be completed in 2029 with the activation of a sixth antenna, Deep Space Station 33, in Canberra, Australia.[NASA News]