Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex
The Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex is a satellite ground station located in Robledo de Chavela, Spain, and operated by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial. Part of the Deep Space Network of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, along with its two sister stations at Goldstone [Deep Space Communications Complex|Goldstone, California] and Canberra, Australia it is used for tracking and communicating with NASA's spacecraft, particularly interplanetary missions. The DSN and the Near Space Network are services of the NASA Space Communications and Navigation program.
Deep Space Network
The MDSCC is part of NASA's Deep Space Network run by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The facility contributes to the Deep Space Network's mission to provide the vital two-way communications link that tracks and controls interplanetary spacecraft and receives the images and scientific information they collect. The complex is one of three NASA Deep Space Network complexes in the world, located at separations of approximately 120° longitude so that a spacecraft will always be in sight of at least one station; the others are the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex located in California, near the city of Barstow, and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex in Australia which is close to the city of Canberra.The complex also serves some missions of the European Space Agency.
Functions
The antennas and data delivery systems make it possible to:- Acquire telemetry data from spacecraft.
- Transmit commands to spacecraft.
- Track spacecraft position and velocity.
- Perform Radio Astronomy observations.
- Measure variations in radio waves for radio science experiments.
- Monitor and control the performance of the Deep Space Network.
Antennas
[Image:MADRID 060508 MXALX 078.jpg|thumb|180px|Antennas at the Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex]The complex has eight large parabolic antennas, called DSS-61, DSS-53, DSS-54, DSS-55, DSS-56, DSS-63, DSS-65 and DSS-66.