NASA Adds 34‑Meter DSS‑23 to Deep Space Network, Boosting Communications for Future Missions

On August 25, 2026, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory celebrated the completion of Deep Space Station 23 (DSS‑23) at the Goldstone complex near Barstow, California. The new 34‑meter multifrequency beam‑waveguide antenna, part of the Aperture Enhancement Project that began in 2009, was commissioned after a testing campaign from May to July and began operations on August 3, tracking the Chandra X‑ray Observatory. Since then, DSS‑23 has communicated with dozens of spacecraft, including Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Psyche, Juno, and Voyager 1. The antenna’s design directs signals to a climate‑controlled underground room, simplifying maintenance and allowing easy upgrades. DSS‑23 joins three existing 34‑meter dishes and one 70‑meter antenna at Goldstone, and will be the fifth enhancement‑project antenna. When the final sixth antenna, DSS‑33, comes online at Canberra in 2029, the network will have 13 34‑meter dishes, providing greater redundancy and capacity for NASA’s expanding fleet of deep‑space missions.