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Deep Space Network

All articles tagged with #deep space network

science16 days ago•11 min saved

Voyager 2 Stretches Interstellar Lifespan With Grounded Power Swap

NASA’s Voyager 2 gained at least a year of extra operational life not by touching the spacecraft, but via a coordinated ground-based power swap called the “Big Bang” that swaps in lower-power components while keeping critical heaters and instruments online. With a roughly 39-hour command cycle (about 19.5 hours to reach the probe and the same back), engineers plan far in advance, since there’s no live troubleshooting. The change reduces power demand from aging RTGs and preserves science measurements from three active instruments in interstellar space; Voyager 1 will receive a similar upgrade in the coming months.

via Space Daily|

#deep-space-network #interstellar-space #nasa

space1 month ago•13 min saved

Tiny Chips, Vast Reach: Voyager 1 Probes Interstellar Space After Five Decades

Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 still transmits data from beyond the Sun’s wind using six small, 1970s-era computers with about 32,000 words of memory (roughly 68 kilobytes). Its mission survives because it was designed to be understandable, redundant and conservative, not powerful. Power from its plutonium RTGs declines by ~4 watts per year, so engineers have shut down instruments and trimmed systems; currently it relies on two active instruments and a ground-based command/control system. Commands take about 23 hours to reach Voyager and replies take a similar time, so every operation is planned as a long-range expedition. The spacecraft’s ground system on Earth does much of the “intelligence,” coordinating attitude, data formatting, and fault responses, while the high-gain antenna and attitude control keep it pointed at Earth. Voyager 1 remains the only probe outside the solar wind bubble, capable of sparse but valuable measurements of the interstellar medium until power or distance eventually limits contact (potentially into the 2030s).

via Space Daily|

#deep-space-network #interstellar-space #nasa

space1 month ago•5 min saved

Wildfires near Madrid force evacuation, NASA’s Deep Space Network shifts to Goldstone

A fast-moving wildfire near Madrid forced the evacuation of NASA’s Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex and temporarily paused Deep Space Network operations. NASA transitioned mission support to the Goldstone Complex in California to maintain communications, while ESA’s nearby Cebreros station was evacuated as a precaution. With Madrid offline and California’s 70-meter antenna out of service since a previous incident, DSN coverage is reduced to Australia’s 70-meter antenna, leaving limited global uptime. NASA says safety comes first and will assess any damage before resuming work; Artemis missions are still planned, with Artemis III in low-Earth orbit and Artemis IV no earlier than 2028.

via Ars Technica|

#deep-space-network #evacuation #madrid

science1 month ago•12 min saved

Voyager 1 Set to Be One Light-Day from Earth in 2026

NASA has pegged Voyager 1’s distance to Earth at exactly one light-day, 16,094,799,096 miles, on November 18, 2026 at 2:16:07 a.m. PST, meaning a round-trip radio signal would take about two days. The milestone highlights the extreme remoteness of interstellar space and the aging spacecraft, which continues to drift with many instruments powered down to conserve energy.

via Space Daily|

#deep-space-network #interstellar-space #light-day

space1 month ago•13 min saved

NASA’s Deep Space Network hears quintillionth-watt whispers from distant spacecraft

NASA’s Deep Space Network, a trio of global 70-meter antennas, can detect signals as faint as a quintillionth of a watt from spacecraft billions of kilometres away, enabling two-way communication and data reception for missions like Voyager despite distance and interference.

via Space Daily|

#antennas #deep-space-network #nasa

space1 month ago•13 min saved

Voyager's barely-there interstellar whisper still reaches Earth

Even after more than four decades, Voyager 1's transmitter—powering a signal the strength of a household bulb—remains audible on Earth as an ultra-weak whisper. NASA's Deep Space Network and enhanced ground systems extract data about the heliopause and local interstellar medium from this fading signal, which travels tens of billions of kilometers and requires a round-trip of nearly two days. The probes’ aging hardware has forced engineers to repair and adapt memory and power management over the years, and while the plutonium power source will eventually silence the link, for now Voyager persists as a faint but scientifically valuable bridge to the edge of the solar system.

via Space Daily|

#communication #deep-space-network #interstellar

science1 month ago•13 min saved

Voyager 1 Reaches One-Light-Day Distance From Earth, Triggering a 24-Hour Radio Round Trip

By November 2026 Voyager 1 will be about one light-day from Earth, meaning a signal traveling at light speed would take 24 hours to reach it—turning even simple commands into a multi-day process and highlighting how far the aging probe has drifted into interstellar space while still being managed from Earth.

via Space Daily|

#deep-space-network #interstellar-space #nasa

space1 month ago•15 min saved

Voyager 1’s Dormant Thruster Gets a Second Chance at the Edge of Space

NASA revived Voyager 1’s long-dormant primary roll thrusters in 2025 from 15 billion miles away, restoring an essential attitude-control option that keeps the high-gain antenna pointed at Earth. The thrusters had been considered dead since 2004, and firing them carried the risk of a hazardous explosion if the heaters weren’t warmed first. Because signals take about a day to reach Voyager and another to return, the team had to carefully sequence the test before a planned Deep Space Network blackout, effectively buying time as power wanes and propellant residue clogs other thrusters. The achievement highlights how a 1977 mission can outlive its expectations and continue to listen from interstellar space.

via Space Daily|

#deep-space-network #interstellar-space #nasa

science1 month ago•11 min saved

Voyager 1 Endures at the Edge of Space on Tiny Nuclear Power

Voyager 1, launched in 1977, is now about 25 billion kilometres from Earth, so far that radio signals take more than 22 hours to reach it; it continues to send back data from interstellar space using a nuclear power source the size of a car battery. Its plutonium generators now deliver ~230 watts (down from ~470 W at launch), fading about 4 watts per year, leading NASA to progressively shut down nonessential systems to extend the mission into the 2030s. Two instruments remain active as it drifts beyond the heliopause, with signals traveling via NASA’s Deep Space Network, a faint whisper from humanity's farthest probe.

via Space Daily|

#deep-space-network #heliopause #interstellar-space

space1 month ago•11 min saved

Voyager 1 Rescued: Remote Code Shuffle Brings Ancient Probe Back to Life

Engineers rescued Voyager 1 after months of gibberish by remotely redistributing pieces of its 46-year-old software around a failed memory chip; the fix required cross-solar-system communication delays of about 22.5 hours each way, took days to implement, and by mid-2024 the craft was again returning usable data, though aging power will eventually silence it.

via Space Daily|

#deep-space-network #nasa #software-repair

space2 months ago•4 min saved

Human Error Grounds NASA’s Deep Space Antenna, $4M-plus Repair Bill

NASA’s Deep Space Network suffered a major mishap at DSS-14 when an electrical fault misreported rotation caused over-rotation and damage to cabling, hydraulics, and the fire-suppress system; operators troubleshooting the limit stops bypassed safeguards, and an undocumented failure plus an inoperable hydraulic limit system amplified the damage. Repairs are estimated at $4.1–$4.6 million and could stretch to October 2028. NASA says it will tighten procedures, training, and in-house capabilities across all DSN sites to prevent a repeat.

via Gizmodo|

#deep-space-network #dsn #investigation

space2 months ago•4 min saved

Training gaps tied to costly DSN antenna mishap

NASA’s redacted investigation into the DSS-14 70‑meter Deep Space Network antenna assigns the multi‑million‑dollar damage ($4.1–$4.6M) to training gaps, inadequate procedures, and a culture of “personal heroics” that led staff to work outside qualifications, fatigue, and skipped tests during troubleshooting and stow attempts following an inoperable hydraulic limit system and a Juno‑link anomaly; six critical events preceded the Sept. 16 mishap, with 20 recommendations aimed at boosting technical rigor, clearer roles, and better procedures. The antenna will remain offline for an extended upgrade through Oct 2028, while DSN maintains operations using other antennas and continues to support Artemis missions, including Artemis 2.

via SpaceNews|

#deep-space-network #dss-14 #nasa

science2 months ago•7 min saved

DSN Survives Artemis II Data Boom With Upgrades

NASA’s Deep Space Network, which nearly buckled during Artemis I, again faced heavy data demands for Artemis II but performed well thanks to upgrades (including a new data subsystem and improved coordination). The mission’s shorter duration helped ease load, while NASA plans more capacity via Lunar Exploration Ground Sites, laser communications, and other non-DSN infrastructure. About 40 missions currently use DSN, with around 40 more expected over the next decade; one 70-meter antenna at Goldstone is offline after a 2023 over-rotation accident and is slated for repair and upgrade by 2028, and NASA now requires feasibility studies before onboarding new missions.

via Ars Technica|

#artemis-ii #deep-space-network #ground-stations

space2 months ago•15 min saved

The Long Quiet Goodbye of Pioneer 10: Heat, Time, and a Silent Voyager

Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, sent its last faint signal in January 2003 from about 12 billion kilometres away as its power from plutonium-238 RTGs faded; the eleven-hour transmission highlighted a graceful end to a 30-year mission, later explained as heat radiation affecting the craft’s trajectory rather than new physics, and the probe remains a silent, drifting artifact with a gold plaque honoring human exploration.

via Space Daily|

#deep-space-network #pioneer-10 #plutonium-238

science3 months ago•11 min saved

Radar Sparks SOHO’s Comeback After 1998 Silence

SOHO lost contact in 1998 during routine maintenance; a radar ping from the Arecibo Observatory confirmed its location and tumbling, triggering months of careful recovery to thaw frozen hydrazine, warm fuel pipes, and recharge the batteries. As sunlight on its panels improved, power returned and SOHO gradually came back online, with the episode prompting ground-procedure reforms. The mission has since become a highly productive solar observatory and prolific comet hunter, illustrating how a healthy spacecraft can be endangered by ground operations.

via Space Daily|

#aricebo #deep-space-network #esa