A Big Crane for a Big Dish

July 9, 2020

Deep Space Station 43 is the largest steerable parabolic antenna in the Southern Hemisphere and currently undergoing upgrades, which are expected to be completed by January 2021.

Located in Canberra, Australia, the Deep Space Network's Deep Space Station 43 spans 70 meters (230 feet), making it the largest steerable parabolic antenna in the Southern Hemisphere. Since March 2020, it has been undergoing upgrades — expected to be complete in January 2021 — to prepare the 48-year-old dish for future exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA operates three Deep Space Network stations, located in California, Spain, and Australia; each has a 70-meter (230-feet) antenna, plus several 34-meter (111-foot) dishes to support dozens of spacecraft exploring the solar system.

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.