Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Webb and the Deep Space Network

Infographic about communication between the James Webb Space Telescope and the Deep Space Network. Drawing of the telescope is centered at top, with a large ground-based radio antenna centered underneath it, labeled Deep Space Network (DSN). Three dotted-line arrows indicate communication between the telescope and DSN. From left to right: one green arrow going up to the telescope, one green arrow going back down to the DSN, and a thicker blue arrow going down to the DSN. Green text at left reads, S-band uplink: 16 kbps, Commanding. S-band downlink: 40 kbps, Ranging. Blue text on the right, corresponding with the thicker blue arrow, reads Ka-band downlink: 28 Mbps, stored science and engineering data, telemetry. Below the DSN radio antennae image and text, three images of Earth show the locations of DSN antennae, labeled with text and a pointer. From left to right the locations are Goldstone, California, USA; Canberra, Australia; and Madrid, Spain.

Members of the James Webb Space Telescope mission team communicate with the telescope, and download the data it has captured, via the Deep Space Network (DSN). The DSN consists of antenna arrays that are strategically located around the Earth so that contact is possible at any time of the day or night.

Read more about Webb and the Deep Space Network.

  • Release Date
    November 2, 2023
  • Credit
    Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Pam Jeffries (STScI)

Downloads

  • Horizontal Version, Full Res, 4267 × 2400
    png (1.78 MB)
  • Horizontal Version, 2000 × 1125
    jpg (212.63 KB)
  • Square Version, Full Res, 2400 × 2400
    png (1.21 MB)
  • Square Version, 1200 × 1200
    jpg (332.81 KB)

Share

Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Illustration Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, Pam Jeffries (STScI)

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

James Webb Space Telescope

Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the…

Science Overview

Webb Observatory

Webb Image Galleries