In a historic first, all six radio frequency antennas at the Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex – part of NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) – carried out a test to receive data from the agency’s Voyager 1 spacecraft at the same time on April 20, 2024. Known as “arraying,” combining the receiving power of several antennas allows the DSN to collect the very faint signals from faraway spacecraft. A five-antenna array is currently needed to downlink science data from the spacecraft’s Plasma Wave System instrument. As Voyager gets further way, six antennas will be needed.
Related posts
-
See how ‘Ahsoka’ brought ‘Clone Wars’ Anakin Skywalker to live-action in this behind-the-scenes clip (exclusive video)
Just in time for Old St. Nick’s annual trek across the sky and straight down your... -
Planes, drones or UFOs: What are people seeing in the New Jersey sky?
The recent sightings of puzzling unidentified aircraft in New Jersey and other states have triggered yet... -
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 141 —Holiday Special 2024
Holiday Special 2024 – TWiS Crew’s Childhood Space Obsessions – YouTube Watch On On Episode 141...