The main antenna used to communicate with the Martian Spacecraft and track nearby asteroids has been offline for almost two months. NASA has shared little information about the damage done to the 230-meter radio antenna, while repair options remain unclear as the government shutdown approaches.
The largest antenna at the site of the Deep Space Network’s (DSN) in Goldstone, California, went up in flames on September 16 after excessive rotation, compressing the casings and the pipe at its center, nasa’s Jet Propulsoratory was revealed in a statement by spacenews. Hoses from the fire suppression system were also damaged, resulting in water damage.
“The antenna remains offline as board members, engineers and technicians evaluate the design and make recommendations and adjustments,” a jpl statement said. “NASA will provide information on the Board’s findings and next steps to return the antenna to service after the state reopens.”
Gizmodo reached out to jpl but did not receive a response before publication.
Phone at home
NASA relies on a large array of radio sources spread across different parts of the world to communicate with its spacecraft. DSN is made up of three Dep-Space communications centers located in Goldstone in California’s Mejana Desert, One near Madrid, Spain, and the third near Canberra, Australia. These locations are strategically placed at approximately 120 degrees to ensure that at any moment in time, one or more of these facilities can communicate with the spacecraft as the Earth rotates around its 360-degree axis.
NASA established its antenna network in 1963; Currently working on power. A 2023 report by NASA’s Office of the Inspector General reveals that DSN needs to be upgraded, with demands on its radio antennas exceeding 40% at times. This means that continuous space travel requires more time than the current network capacity can provide.
The recently damaged antenna, known as DSS-14, received its first signal from the Mariner 4 Mission of Nasa, the first Spacecraft for Mars, it was developed from 210 70 meters. meet Neptune. The antenna was also used to communicate with Voyager 1 after it left interstellar space in 2012.
Due to its high sensitivity, the DSS-14 is essential for sending commands and receiving data from continuous missions in deep space. Scientists also use the antenna to track near-Earth asteroids and measure their sizes and trajectories. With the antenna on the ground, there is an added strain on NASA’s communications network.
The 2023 report predicted that demand for DSN Antennas will increase significantly over the next decade, exceeding capacity by 50% by 20%. The main factor contributing to the extended course is NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to send a crewed mission to the moon and back in early February 2026.
The first Artemis Mission, which NASA launched in November 2022, required 903 hours of DSN time, while the Mission’s Pholisar With that in mind, it is difficult to imagine launching Artemis 2 with one of the largest antennas out of service.
Although DSN antennas rarely go out of commission, it has happened before. The DSN Complex in Madrid suffered from June 2006 to the beginning of 2007 after the loss of telemetry data, while the antenna in Australia took longer to 2021.
