Reflector Dish Installed On Deep Space Network Station 23

NASA’s Deep Space Station 23 recently received its crown when its reflector dish was installed onto the pedestal supporting the dish at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California. When it becomes operational in 2026, Station 23 will be the 15th in NASA’s Deep Space Network.

The Deep Space Network is an array of giant radio antennas that are used to communicate with spacecraft such as Voyager 1, Europa Clipper, Perseverance, Psyche, and the continually growing fleet of future human and robotic spacecraft in deep space. The network is seeing increasing demand since it is the most sensitive radio frequency communication system in the world.

Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator of NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program said, “This addition to the Deep Space Network represents a crucial communication upgrade for the agency. The communications infrastructure has been in continuous operation since its creation in 1963, and with this upgrade we are ensuring NASA is ready to support the growing number of missions exploring the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

Construction of this station has been going on for more than four years. To complete this element, crews used a giant crawler crane to lift the 133-ton steel framework of the 112-foot-wide (34-meter-wide) parabolic dish and then lower it onto the alidade, or steering platform, situated on top of the pedestal, where it was bolted into place.

Germaine Aziz, systems engineer, Deep Space Network Aperture Enhancement Program of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said, “One of the biggest challenges facing us during the lift was to ensure that 40 bolt-holes were perfectly aligned between the structure and alidade. This required a meticulous emphasis on alignment prior to the lift to guarantee everything went smoothly on the day.”

After the dish framework was secured, crews lifted the lighter quadripod, a 16½-ton four-legged structure that is placed in the center of the dish. It houses a smaller curved subreflector that directs the radio waves that bounce off the main reflector down into the pedestal where the antenna’s receivers are housed.

FMI:  www.nasa.gov/