Science
NASA brings new Deep Space Network antenna online at Goldstone complex
Deep Space Station 23 is the latest dish added under a network expansion project launched in 2009.
The short version
- NASA has officially brought online Deep Space Station 23 (DSS-23), a new 34-meter antenna at its Goldstone complex near Barstow, California.
- The antenna expands the operational capacity of the Deep Space Network, which provides tracking, commanding, and scientific data reception for distant space missions.
- DSS-23 is part of the ongoing Aperture Enhancement Project initiated in 2009 to construct six new multifrequency beam-waveguide antennas.
Key facts
- NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory leadership held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting for Deep Space Station 23 on August 25, 2026, at the Goldstone complex near Barstow, California.[NASA News · NASA News]
- DSS-23 is a 34-meter (114-foot) multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna designed to handle communications across multiple radio frequencies.[NASA News · NASA News]
- The addition of DSS-23 is part of the Deep Space Network's Aperture Enhancement Project, which began in 2009 to add six 34-meter antennas to the network.[NASA News · NASA News]
- The Deep Space Network is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California for NASA's Space Communications and Navigation Program.[NASA News · NASA News]