More than 40 spacecraft rely on NASA’s three Deep Space Network complexes around the world. Goldstone added a new dish in August 2026, five years after network manager Brad Arnold warned that missions
NASA has expanded its Deep Space Network by adding a new antenna at the Goldstone complex to support over 40 spacecraft. This addition aims to alleviate long-standing capacity shortages that have hindered mission scheduling and data retrieval.
Why it matters
The Deep Space Network is the primary communication link for deep space exploration; its capacity directly limits the frequency and volume of scientific data returned from missions.
DSS-23 began operations on 3 August 2026. Its arrival adds capacity while older antennas, maintenance outages and competing mission requests continue to shape the network’s schedule.
By Mission Notes · Edited by Lachlan Brown
Published September 7, 2026 · How we edit
NASA’s new 34-metre antenna at Goldstone began operations on 3 August 2026, tracking the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Its arrival gives the Deep Space Network another working dish as more than 40 spacecraft depend on the system for commands, navigation and returning data.
The addition addresses a shortage that NASA’s network managers were describing five years ago. In 2021, network manager Brad Arnold told a planetary-science planning committee that antenna expansion could not keep up with demand. Missions, he said, should expect less availability. The new dish is progress on that problem, rather than evidence that the competition for contact time has ended.
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