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A 70-meter antenna lights up the night sky at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California. The Moon brightly shines behind the giant antenna.

SCaN.
Exploration, enabled.

Reliable space communication and navigation systems are critical to every NASA mission. Spacecraft commands, never-before-seen images, and scientific data are sent and received daily by NASA’s giant antennas on Earth. From the Voyager mission exploring beyond our solar system, to astronauts onboard the International Space Station, space communications provide the crucial connection to our home planet.

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Global Communications Networks

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Missions Enabled

Earth and Beyond

Enabling missions within one million miles of Earth.

Astronauts onboard the International Space Station, missions monitoring Earth’s weather and effects of climate change, and spacecraft exploring the Moon and beyond all depend on NASA’s Near Space Network to provide robust communications services. Using a blend of government and commercial assets, the network supports science, human spaceflight, and technology demonstration missions exploring our planet and the solar system. This data is gathered through global direct-to-Earth antennas systems and a fleet of relay satellites.

The Near Space Network
Three Near Space Network antennas can be seen in front of a rising Sun at the Second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Ground Terminal.
The Second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Ground Terminal at the White Sands Complex in New Mexico.
NASA
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Space Communications: 7 Things You Need to Know

NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program enables this data exchange, whether it’s with astronauts aboard the International Space Station,…

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What’s Next: The Future of NASA’s Laser Communications

NASA uses lasers to send information to and from Earth, employing invisible beams to traverse the skies, sending terabytes of…

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The Invisible Network Podcast

NASA presents The Invisible Network, a podcast giving you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the feats of engineering that make possible humanity's ambitions among the stars.

Tune Into The Podcast about The Invisible Network Podcast
Artists Conception of Cassini Saturn orbit insertion overlaid with elements from The Invisible Network podcast promotional graphics.