| 30th of August 2017 |
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| CDSCC DSS-36 |
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The CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS) business unit brings
together CSIRO's radio astronomy capabilities
(including the Australian Square Kilometere Array Pathfinder,
the Parkes Radio Telescope, and the Australia Telescope Compact Array)
and other space science activities, most notably the
operation of Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC).
CSIRO manages CDSCC in Australia on behalf of NASA and
the JPL (the Jet Propoulsion Laboratory).
NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the Solar System and the universe. The DSN consists of three deep-space communications facilities placed approximately 120 degrees apart in longitude around the world: CDSCC is one of these, the others are at Goldstone, in California, and near Madrid. This strategic placement permits constant observation of spacecraft as the Earth rotates, and helps to make the DSN the largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications system in the world. Pictured above is DSS-36, the 34m antenna that is the most recent addition to CDSCC, commencing operations in October 2016. Visit the CDSCC web pages for more information. |