NASA has added a new 114-foot (34-meter) radio-frequency antenna at its Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California to improve the performance of the Deep Space Network (DSN), which communicates with spacecraft far beyond Earth's orbit, such as the Voyager 1 and 2 probes and the New Horizons mission to Pluto. The DSN supports over 40 spacecraft exploring the solar system and even interstellar space, but it has struggled to meet growing demand, especially with recent high-profile missions like Artemis 1 and the upcoming Artemis 2, which require significant communication resources as they travel around the Moon. NASA managers have long warned that despite efforts to add new antennas to the DSN, the network cannot always support all deep-space missions simultaneously. Brad Arnold, manager of the DSN at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has noted that missions should expect reduced availability. He also highlighted that the Artemis moon program, which includes both uncrewed and crewed missions, will take priority over robotic spacecraft, potentially limiting the DSN’s ability to support other missions. This prioritization is a natural consequence of the need to ensure the safety and communication of astronauts. The DSN, established in 1963, has been the primary network for deep-space communication for over 50 years. It played a crucial role in transmitting data from Apollo 11’s moon landing in 1969 and has since supported numerous milestones, including images from Mars rovers and data from the Voyager probes as they entered interstellar space. As space exploration has expanded, other space agencies have increasingly relied on the DSN for their missions, adding to the network’s workload. NASA also plans to establish a permanent lunar base near the Moon’s south pole in the 2030s, which will require a coordinated communication network. The DSN operates three global complexes—Goldstone in California, Madrid in Spain, and Canberra in Australia—each equipped with a large 230-foot (70-meter) antenna and several smaller ones. The new 34-meter antenna at Goldstone, which became operational in August 2023, is the fifth of six planned under the DSN’s Aperture Enhancement Project, which began in 2009. The final antenna, DSS-33, is expected to be completed at the Canberra complex by 2029. However, the project has faced delays and budget increases, with costs rising from an estimated $362.4 million in 2015 to $706 million by 2023, nearly five years behind schedule.