NASA and ESA facilities avoid major damage from wildfires in Spain
Key ground stations in Spain operated by NASA and the European Space Agency have avoided serious damage from major wildfires in the country.
NASA announced July 24 it had evacuated the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex, or MDSCC, one of three main ground stations for the Deep Space Network, located in Robledo de Chavela, about 65 kilometers west of Madrid. The evacuation was prompted by a major wildfire in the region.
"All personnel were safely evacuated. The wildfire has passed through the MDSCC. Any potential damage will be assessed when it is safe to do so," the agency said in a statement.
In a social media post July 25, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens said the MDSCC site avoided major damage from the fire.
"On July 25, an initial onsite inspection by the NASA Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) emergency response team found wildfire damage primarily to pavement and surrounding vegetation, with no significant structural damage observed to antennas or buildings," she wrote.
She added more tests and inspections are planned as conditions permit. "The situation remains dynamic, and comprehensive assessments will proceed as conditions stabilize and access improves."
MDSCC is one of three sites in the DSN, alongside those in Goldstone, California, and near Canberra, Australia. It hosts a 70-meter antenna and five 34-meter antennas used for communicating with NASA spacecraft throughout the solar system.
According to NASA's Deep Space Network Now website, which provides real-time visualization of DSN activities, none of the antennas at the Madrid site have been actively communicating with spacecraft since at least July 24. The Canberra and Goldstone sites remain active.
NASA uses a "follow the sun" approach to management of the DSN, where management of the entire DSN shifts among the three sites. Stevens said Canberra and Goldstone have taken over control of the DSN, "ensuring continuity of operations and uninterrupted spacecraft communications."
It's not clear how long MDSCC will be out of service or how that will affect spacecraft operations. The DSN was already suffering from a capacity crunch due to increasing demand for spacecraft communications, exacerbated by damage to the 70-meter antenna at Goldstone that has taken it out of service until 2028 for repairs and upgrades.
In addition to the DSN site, ESA operates a ground station near Cerberos, Spain, 77 kilometers west of Madrid, also affected by the wildfires. It hosts a 35-meter antenna ESA uses for communications with its deep-space missions.
It, too, appears to have survived the wildfires without serious damage. "Based on the information currently available, the station appears to have remained unharmed," ESA said in a July 25 statement. All of the station's personnel are safe and accounted for.
"ESA does not have physical access to the station and is therefore unable to conduct an on-site inspection," the agency added. "Any assessment of the site's condition will be carried out as soon as access can be safely restored."
The wildfires near Madrid are among dozens in Spain and France that have flared up in recent days, linked to unseasonably high temperatures and dry conditions. As of late July 25, nearly 300,000 people in the two countries had been evacuated because of the fires.
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