How Do We Know Where Faraway Spacecraft Are?

NASA has dozens of robotic spacecraft exploring our solar system – and beyond. So how exactly do we navigate spacecraft that are so far away? Scientists and engineers on Earth can use precise measurements to know where faraway spacecraft are by using the Deep Space Network, NASA’s international collection of giant radio antennas used to communicate with spacecraft at the Moon and beyond.

The antennas of NASA’s Deep Space Network are the indispensable link to robotic explorers venturing beyond Earth. They provide the crucial connection for commanding our spacecraft and receiving their never-before-seen images and scientific information on Earth, propelling our understanding of the universe, our solar system and ultimately, our place within it.

Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program, based at NASA Headquarters within the Space Operations Mission Directorate, the Deep Space Network is what enables missions to track, send commands to, and receive scientific data from faraway spacecraft.