NASA marked the addition of Deep Space Station 23 at Goldstone on August 25. The new 34-meter antenna began operations on August 3 by tracking Chandra, following a testing campaign from May through July.
It has since communicated with missions including Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Psyche, Juno and Voyager 1. The antenna is part of a wider effort to expand the Deep Space Network, whose three global complexes support more than 40 deep-space missions.
Its beam-waveguide design directs radio signals into a climate-controlled underground equipment room. Keeping sensitive electronics off the moving dish makes maintenance and future upgrades easier. This is operational communications infrastructure, not a new spacecraft launch.
Primary source: NASA JPL antenna report. Report published 2026-08-25; summary checked 2026-09-06.