Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex
The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC), commonly called the Goldstone Observatory, is a satellite ground station located in Fort Irwin in the U.S. state of California. Operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), its main purpose is to track and communicate with interplanetary space missions. It is named after Goldstone, California, a nearby gold-mining ghost town.
The 34m antennas at Goldstone | |
| Alternative names | Goldstone Observatory |
|---|---|
| Organization | |
| Location | Fort Irwin, California, California |
| Coordinates | 35°25′36″N 116°53′24″W |
| Altitude | 2,950 ft (900 m) |
| Established | 1958 |
| Website | www |
| Telescopes | |
Location of Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex | |
| Related media on Commons | |
Pioneer Deep Space Station | |
| Location | Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, Fort Irwin, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°23′21.41″N 116°51′22.31″W |
| Area | 32,411 Acres |
| Built | 1958 |
| Architect | U.S. Army |
| NRHP reference No. | 85002813 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 3, 1985 |
| Designated NHL | October 3, 1985 |
The station is one of three satellite communication stations in the NASA Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program’s Deep Space Network (DSN), whose mission is to provide the vital two-way communications link that tracks and controls interplanetary spacecraft and receives the images and scientific information they collect. The others are the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex in Spain and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex in Australia. These three stations are located at separations of approximately 120° longitude so that as the Earth rotates a spacecraft will always be in sight of at least one station.
The complex includes the Pioneer Deep Space Station (aka DSS 11), which is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.