NASA Deep Space Network Handles Artemis II After Artemis I Strained 40 Science Missions
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 11
NASA Deep Space Network Handles Artemis II After Artemis I Strained 40 Science Missions
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 11
Summary
Artemis II’s little-more-than-nine-day flight let NASA’s Deep Space Network keep Orion linked to Mission Control without the severe congestion seen on Artemis I.
NASA said new coordination and scheduling processes, added after the 2022 overload, helped the network balance Orion’s heavy data needs with other missions.
Artemis I had pushed the system past its limits by combining a 25-day lunar mission with 10 deep-space CubeSats, forcing reduced or delayed downlinks for missions including James Webb and Mars rovers.
The smoother Artemis II support suggests NASA has eased a key communications bottleneck as it prepares for more crewed Artemis missions.