A greound-breaking ceremony was held recently at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC) for a new 34 m diameter multi-frequency beam-waveguide antenna, DSS-33. When it goes online in 2029, the new Canberra dish will be the last of six dishes constructed under NASA’s Deep Space Network Aperture Enhancement Program, which is helping to support current and future spacecraft and the increased volume of data they provide. 

The Deep Space Network was officially founded on 24 Dec 1963, when NASA’s early ground stations, including Goldstone, were connected to the new network control center at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.  The Madrid facility joined in 1964, and Canberra went online in 1965, going on to help support hundreds of missions, including the Apollo Moon landings.

Pictured above, form left to right, are Elanor Huntington (CSIRO), Dave Gallagher (JPL), Erika Olson (US  Chargé d’Affaires), Kevin Coggins (NASA SCaN), Kevin Ferguson (CSIRO/CDSCC), Greg Heckler (NASA SCaN), and Suzy Dodd (JPL). (Image credit: @CanberraDSN)