The Deep Space Network Acquires Artemis II Signal

Acquisition of the radio frequency signal from the Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon by NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) is indicated by the peak in the data signal displayed on the upper computer screen.

Shortly after the mission launched on April 1, 2026, at 6:35 p.m. EDT, NASA’s Near Space Network directed communications with the Orion capsule. Then, communications were transferred to the DSN, marking the first time in more than 50 years that the network would communicate with a crewed spacecraft traveling in deep space.

The Space Flight Operations Center at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California (where this photo was taken) operates the DSN, which includes three complexes in Goldstone, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia. Each complex consists of several radio frequency antennas that communicate with dozens of robotic spacecraft exploring the solar system in addition to the Artemis II mission.

The DSN is managed by JPL for the agency’s Space Communications and Navigation Program, which is located at NASA Headquarters within the Space Operations Mission Directorate. The DSN allows missions to track, send commands, and receive scientific data from deep spacecraft. JPL is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, for NASA.

For more information about Artemis II, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/