Space Communications

Ground Networks

Ground-based telecommunications facilities are used to provide telemetry, command, and navigation services to a number of NASA and international spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, Earth-orbiting spacecraft, planetary orbiters, and spacecraft on deep-space missions, in addition to supporting suborbital sounding rocket and balloon flights. Accomplishments during FY 1995 included providing services to the Ulysses spacecraft during its observation of the polar regions of the Sun, the probe release and orbital deflection maneuver of the Galileo spacecraft in preparation for its encounter with Jupiter, and approximately 50 other spacecraft missions, 1,500 aeronautical test flights, 30 sounding rocket launches, and 22 atmospheric balloon flights. NASA made capacity and capability enhancements to the telecommunications facilities to ensure the fulfillment of NASA's science mission requirements.