Station (Location)
.
Alaska (near
Fairbanks)
ALASKA
64°59'N
147°31'W
.
.
1962
.
GRARR and MOTS, SATAN
receivers and command; dish antennas (12, 14, and 26
m)
Also referred to as
Fairbanks station. ESSA also operated a station equipped
with a 26-m antenna in nearby Gilmore. Planned to be sued at
1 of 5 TDRSS orbital support stations.
Antigua (British West
Indies)
ANG
17°09'N
61°47'W
.
.
1967
1970
9-m USB; VHF telemetry
links; telemetry recording
DoD also operated a
tracking station on Antigua which supported NASA until
1970.
Ascension Island (South
Atlantic)
ASN
7°57'S
14°35'W
1967
.
9-m USB; VHF telemetry
links; FM remoting telemetry; decommutators; telemetry
recording; data processing, communications (voice, VHF air
ground, teletype, video, and high-speed data); 9-m DSN
antenna
Primary USB station for
near-Earth Apollo operations. DoD also operated a station on
Ascension Island. DSN operations were phased out in
1969.
Bermuda (Atlantic)
BDA
32°15'N
64°50'W
.
1961
.
C-band radar; 9-m USB; VHF
telemetry links; FM remoting telemetry; decommutators;
telemetry recording; data processing; communications (voice,
VHF air to ground, teletype video, high-speed data)
Data received at Bermuda
were crucial in making the go no-go decision for orbital
insertion. Bermuda also provided reentry tracking for
Atlantic recovery situations. Planned to be used at 1 of 2
TDRSS launch support stations.
Canary Island. See Grand
Canary
Canberra (Southeastern
Australia)
CANBERRA 42
35° 24'S
148°59'E
1965
.
26-m USB; FM remoting
telemetry; decommutators; telemetry recording; data
processing; communications (voice, video, teletype, and
high-speed data); 64-m antenna
Also officially called
Honeysuckle Creek as part of the MSFN and Tidinbilla as part
of the DSN Supported Appollo lunar operations. 25-m antenna
transferred to the DoD in 1973. Planned to be used as 1 of 5
TDRSS orbital support stations. The 64-m antenna, 1 of 3
built by NASA, became operational in 1973.
Cape Kennedy
(Florida)
CAPE 71
28°28'N 80°34W
1961
.
9-m USB; radar (FPS-16,
ODOP, and optical); acquisition aid; telemetry reception;
data processing, communications (voice, VHF air to ground,
and telemetry; 1.3-m DSN antenna
Not considered part of the
global STADAN or MSFN networks but supported Eastern Test
Range launches. The DSN Compatibility Test Station, located
nearby (28o 29N), was built in 1965.
Carnarvon (western
Australia)
CARVON or CRO
24°54'S 113°43'E
.
1964
1974
GRARR; 9-m USB; C-band
radar; VHF telemetry links; FM remoting telemetry;
decommutators; telemetry recording; data processing;
communications (voice, VHF air to ground, teletype, video,
and high-speed data)
Equipment from Muchea
(closed 1964 and Woomera (Closed 1966) stations was
consolidated here. For Project Biosatellite, Yagi command
equipment was used here.
Cebreros. See Madrid
Corpus Christi (Texas)
TEX
27°39'N 97°23'W
.
.
1961
1974
9-m USB; VHF telemetry
links; FM remoting telemetry; decommutators; telemetry
recording; data processing; communications (voice, VHF air
to ground, teletype, video, and high-speed data)
Station not critical for
STADAN operations
Darwin (north-central
Austrialia)
DARWIN
12°17'S 130°49'E
.
.
1965
1969
4.3-m antenna; Yagi
command
Antenna transferred to
Kauai Station.
Fairbanks. See
Alaska.
Ft. Myers (Florida)
FTMYRS
26°33'N 81°52'W
.
.
1959
1972
SATAN receivers and
command; 3 Yai command; MOTS
.
Gilmore. See Alaska
Goddard. See Network Test
and Training Facility.
Goldstone
(California)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Goldstone, located in the
Mojave Desert, is the largest concentration of NASA tracking
and data acquisition equipment. There are 6 individual
stations. Planned to be used as 1 of 5 TDRSS global support
stations.
.
MOJAVE
35°20'N 116°54'W
.
.
1960
1969
14-m antenna; SATAN
receivers and command
.
.
GDS
35°20'N 116°54'W
.
1967
9-m antenna; 26-m USB; FM
remoting telemetry; decommutators; telemetry recording; data
processing; communications (voice, teletype, video, and
high-speed data)
Also called Apollo
station.
.
ECHO 12
35°18'N 116°49'W
.
.
1960
.
26-m antenna
.
.
MARS 14
35° 26'N 116° 44'W
.
.
1968
.
64-m antenna
NASA's first 64-m antenna;
used to support planetary missions.
.
PIONEER 11
35° 23'N 116° 51'W
.
.
1958
.
26-m antenna
.
.
VENUS 13
35° 26'N 116° 53'W
.
.
1962
.
9-m antenna 34-m
antenna
DSN research and
development facility.
Grand Bahama (South Atlantic)
GBM
26°38'N 78°16'W
.
.
1967
1970
9-m USB; VHF telemetry
links; FM remoting telemetry; decommutators; telemetry
recording; data processing; communications (voice,VHF air to
ground, teletype; video; and high-speed data)
Critical station during
launch phase. DoD also operated a tracking facility on Grand
Bahama, which supported NASA missions.
Grand Canary (near coast of
Morocco)
CYI
27°44'N 15°36'W
.
1961
1975
C-band radar; 9-m USB; VHF
telemetry links; FM remoting telemetry; decommutators;
telemetry recording; data processing; communications (voice;
VHF air to ground, teletype, video, and high speed
data)
.
Guam (Pacific)
GWM
13°18'N 144°44'E
.
1966
.
9-m USB; VHF telemetry;
decommutators; telemetry recording; data processing;
communications (voice, VHF air to ground, teletype, video,
and high-speed data communications (voice, VHF air to
ground, teletype, video, an d high-speed data)
.
Guaymas (Mexico)
GYM
27°57'N 110°43'W
.
.
1961
1970
9-m USB; VHF telemetry
links; FM remoting telemetry; decommulators; telemetry
recording; data processing; communications (voice, VHF air
to ground, teletype, video, and high-speed data)
.
Hawaii, See Kauai.
Honeysuckle Creek. See
Canberra.
Station (Location)
.
Johannesburg (South
Africa)
JOBURG 51
25°53'S 27°42'E
.
1958
1975
14-m antenna; SATAN
receivers and command;YAGI command; MOTS; 26-m
antenna
The STADAN facility bean
operation in 1958 and was closed in 1975. The DSN facility,
located at Hartbeesthoekopened in 1961 and was closed in
1974. DoD also operated a station in the vicinity, known as
Pretoria. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
maintained a facility in the area at Olifantsfontein.
Officially NASA closed its operation for technical reasons,
but the agency was also under political pressure from
Congress to do so because of South Africa's apartheid
practices.
Kasima Machi (Japan)
.
35°57'N 140°40'E
.
.
1967
1970
.
Collateral station.
Kauai (Hawaii)
KAUAIH or HAW
22°07'N 157°40'W
.
1961
.
2 Yagi command; 4.3m
antenna; C-band radar; 9-m USB: VHF telemetry links; FM
remoting telemetry; decommuntators; telemetry recording;
data processing; communications (voice, VHF air to ground,
teletype, video, and high-speed data)
The MSFN station began
operations in 1961 and the STADAN in 1965.
Lima (Peru)
LIMAPU
11°47'S 77°09'W
.
.
1957
1969
SATAN receivers and
command; Yagi command; MOTS
.
Madagascar. See
Tananarive
Madrid (Spain)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
There were 3 individual
NASA stations near Madrid. Planned to be 1 of 5 TDRSS
orbital support stations.
.
MAD
40°27'N 4°10'W
.
1967
.
26-m antenna; FM remoting
telemetry; decommuntators telemetry recording; data
processing communications (voice, video, teletype, and
high-speed data)
Referred to officially as
Madrid station.
.
61
40°26'N 4°10'W
.
.
1965
.
26-m antenna 64-m antenna
Known as the Robledo DSN
station. The 64-m antenna, 1 of 3 built by NASA, became
operational in 1973.
.
62
40°27'N 4°22'W
.
.
1967
.
26-m antenna
Known as the Cebreros DSN
station.
Merritt Island
(Florida)
MIL
28°25'N 80°40'W
1973
.
3.7-m USB; C-band radar;
VHF telemetry links; FM remoting telemetry; decommutators;
telemetry recording; data processing; communications (voice,
VHF air to ground, teletype, video, and high-speed)
Located near the Cape
Kennedy launch complex. Planned to be used as as 1 of 2
TDRSS launch support stations.
Mojave. See Goldstone.
Network Test and Training
Facility (Maryland)
NTIF
38°59'N 76°51'W
1966
.
.
Located at Goddard Space
Flight Center, this facility was used only for testing new
equipment bound for the networks and for training new
personnel until 1974, when it was made part of the
operational network.
Orroral Valley (Southeastern
Australia)
ORORAL
35°38'S 148°57'E
.
.
1965
.
26-m antenna; 2 SATAN
receivers and command; Yagi command; MOTS
Provided geodetic data for
the a South Pacific area
Quito (Ecuador)
QUITOE
37°S 78°35'W
.
.
1957
.
12-m antenna; SATAN
receivers and command; 3 Yagi command; MOTS
.
Robledo. See Madrid
Rosman (North
Carolina)
ROSMAN
35°12'N 82°52'W
.
.
1963
1981
2 26-m antenna; GRARR; 3
SATAN receivers and command; MOTS; ATS telemetry and
command
Received high data-rate
telemetry from observatory-class satellites. Facility turned
over to DoD in 1981. Planned to be used as 1 of 5 TDRSS
orbital support stations.
Santiago (Chile)
SNTAGO
33°09'S 70°40'W
.
.
1957
.
12-m antenna; GRARR; 2
SATAN receivers; 1 SATAN command; Yagi command; MOTS
.
Singapore (Southeast
Asia)
.
2°S 103°E
.
.
1963
1970
.
Collateral station.
St. John's (Newfoundland)
NEWFLD
47°44'N 52°43'W
.
.
1960
1970
3 Yagi command; MOTS
.
Tananarive (Malagasy
Republic)
.
19°00'S 47°18'E
.
.
1965
1975
14-m antenna; GRARR
This STADAN station also
supported Apollo operations. The station was abandoned when
a new revolutionary government demanded $10 million in back
rent (no exchange of funds had ever been agreed to). Some of
the equipment left at the facility was repatriated in
1980.
Tidbinbilla. See
Canberra.
Toowoomba (eastern
Australia)
TOOMBA
27°24'S 151°56'E
.
.
1966
1969
14-m antenna; SATAN
receivers; Yagi command; transportable ATS equipment.
Used primarily to support
ATS. Also referred to as Cooby Creek.
White Sands (New
Mexico)
WHS
32°21'N 106°22'W
.
1961
.
C-band radar;
communications (voice and teletype)
This station provided
support during Apollo. Located on the Army's White Sands
Missile Range, the station was equipped with DoD radar and
NASA-owned acquisition aids. Planned to be used as the site
of the TDRSS ground station.
Winkfield (England)
WNKFLD
51o27N 00o42W
.
.
1961
.
4.3m antenna; SATAN
receivers and command; Yagi command; MOTS
Operated by British
personnel.
Woomers (southern
Austrialia)
41
31°23'S 136°53'E
.
.
1960
1972
26-m antenna
.
Tracking Ships
Huntsville
.
.
.
1962
.
.
Originally used to support
Mercury; modified for Apollo.
Mercury
.
.
.
1966
.
.
Instrumented by NASA, this
refitted tanker was used in the Pacific during Apollo
operations.
Redstone
.
.
.
1966
.
.
Instrumented by NASA, this
refitted tanker was used in the Indian Ocean during Apollo
operations.
Vanguard
.
.
.
1966
.
.
Instrumented by NASA, this
refitted tanker wa sused int eh Atlantic during Apollo
operations and later as part of the STADAN
Watertown
.
.
.
1962
.
.
Originally used to support
Mercury; modified for Apollo.
Apollo Range
Instrumentation Aircraft
ARIA
.
.
1966
.
.
Eight instrumented aircraft
were used as communications relays to support Apollo
operations in areas where there were no grounds stations,
especially during reentry and landing. In 1975, 2 aircraft
remained in the STADAN network.