The new antenna at NASA’s MDSCC in Robledo de Chavela is used to communicate with the Mars Perseverance Rover

The new Deep Space Station 56 (DSS-56) antenna went into operation in January at the NASA Deep Space Communications Center (MDSCC) and has played a key role in communicating with the Mars Perseverance Rover.

DSS-56 established a link with the Mars Odyssey-M01O orbiter, which provided a communications relay during the critical descent phase of the new rover, along with two other orbiters, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter-MRO and the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN - MAVEN, which also connected to antennas DSS-65 and 54, also at the Robledo complex, thus providing a primary and back-up connection to Mars during the mission.

With its 34-m diameter, the new antenna enables two-way communications in the S and X bands (2 and 8 GHz), and it incorporates reception capabilities in the K and Ka bands (26 and 32 GHz), thus opening up new opportunities for future manned missions to the Moon and Mars.

By virtue of the 1964 agreement between Spain and the United States, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) is responsible for the MDSCC facilities. INTA has, in turn, commissioned Isdefe to operate, maintain and provide technical support for the complex. Isdefe provides daily support for over 30 missions, 365 days a year. The company has also provided technical and administrative support to manage the construction of the two new antennas at the center