October 2017 – Near Earth Network (NEN) AS-2 Antenna Declared Operational
AS-2 became operational on October 3, 2017 at the Alaska Satellite Facility in Fairbanks. The antenna increases the agency’s communications support to Earth-observing missions. The new antenna is part of the Near Earth Network (NEN), which provides communications support to spacecraft up to 1.2 million miles from Earth.