Inside a Big Dish

July 9, 2020

Workers perform upgrades on the central cone of the Deep Space Network's Deep Space Station 43's antenna in Canberra, Australia. Improvements on the dish, which spans 70 meters (239 feet) are expected to be complete by January 2021.

The antenna of the Deep Space Network's Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43) in Canberra, Australia, spans 70 meters (230 foot) and stands 73 meters (239 foot), dwarfing workers as they perform upgrades on the central cone that contains sensitive transmitters and receivers. A giant crane assisted with the replacement of parts that had been operating on the antenna for over 40 years. One of several antennas located at the Canberra Deep Space Network station, DSS-43 is the largest and responsible for transmitting commands to NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft. Since early March 2020, DSS-43 has been offline for the upgrades, which are expected to continue until January 2021.

The Deep Space Network is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the agency's Human Exploration and Operations' Space Communication and Navigation program.