Swinging the Cone Into Place
Jul 09, 2020
In a delicate operation, a 400-ton crane lifts the new X-band cone into the 70-meter (230-foot) Deep Space Network's Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43) dish in Canberra, Australia. The new cone houses upgraded receiver and transmitter equipment for the 48-year-old antenna. One of several antennas located at the Canberra site, DSS-43 is the largest and responsible for transmitting commands to NASA's Voyager spacecraft. Since early March 2020, DSS43 has been offline for 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.