zoom_in Click to enlarge

Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex

▲ ▼

language

description Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex Overview

The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex is an Australian ground station located in Tidbinbilla, operated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) on behalf of NASA. As a key node in NASA's Deep Space Network, it features massive parabolic dish antennas, including a 70-meter dish, used to track, command, and receive data from interplanetary spacecraft. The facility provides crucial communication coverage for deep space missions exploring the solar system and beyond. It is an essential infrastructure component for international space agencies and astronomers relying on continuous telemetry from robotic probes.

help Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex FAQ

Why is the Canberra station essential for communicating with Voyager 2?

Voyager 2 travels far south of the ecliptic, making the Southern Hemisphere location at Tidbinbilla especially important. Canberra's 70-meter DSS-43 has also been the only antenna able to send Voyager 2 commands at the required uplink frequency.

How large is Canberra's DSS-43 antenna?

DSS-43 is a fully steerable 70-meter dish and the largest steerable parabolic antenna in the Southern Hemisphere. It began as a 64-meter antenna and was enlarged before Voyager 2's 1989 Neptune encounter.

What other antennas operate at the Canberra complex?

Alongside DSS-43, the active complex includes 34-meter dishes DSS-34, DSS-35, and DSS-36. These antennas share tracking, telemetry, command, and radio-science duties across numerous missions.

Is the Canberra complex an astronomical observatory or a spacecraft ground station?

Its primary role is as one of NASA's three Deep Space Network communication complexes. Its radio antennas can support scientific experiments, but they principally exchange data and commands with spacecraft beyond Earth orbit.

swap_horiz

Looking for Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex alternatives? Compare top competitors ranked & scored

arrow_forward