Today, DSN  consists of communications antennas at three major sites around the  world—Goldstone, Calif.; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia. The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 contains a requirement that the NASA  Administrator submit a plan for updating NASA’s space communications  architecture for low-Earth orbital operations and deep space exploration  so that it is capable of meeting NASA’s needs over the next 20 years. DSN Challenges Could Hamper Its Ability to Meet Future Mission Requirements

DSN is currently able to meet most requirements of its existing workload. Sustainability of DSN’s Infrastructure Is Unknown

DSN suffers from an aged, fragile infrastructure. Limited Capacity to Provide Coverage Is Exacerbated By An Increasing Mission Set

DSN also faces increasing competition between new and old users for  coverage time on the system. DSN officials thus find themselves faced with the need to balance this new  demand with an equally compelling demand from existing “legacy”  missions that have remained operational beyond their original lifetimes  but are still returning science data and need to be maintained. If this occurs, the opportunity to continue adding  new mission customers will be limited and the potential for lost deep  space science is significant. Existing Management Structure Does Not Allow NASA to Match Space Communications Resources With Requirements

DSN’s future utility is also in question because NASA currently does not  have a mechanism in place to match funding for space communications  assets with program requirements, such as infrastructure and technology  development needs, from an agency wide perspective. Instead, funding for space  communications capabilities is controlled by the individual  communications programs and their associated mission directorates, who  may not consider agency wide goals when making investments. In the former case, a program like DSN must compete for funding against  individual missions. Recommendations for Executive Action

To better position the Deep Space Network to meet existing workload  challenges and prepare the network for future deep space  communications responsibilities, we recommend that the NASA  Administrator direct DSN to (1) identify total program requirements for  deep space communications capabilities for the near and long term, in  terms better defined than the single coverage commitment of 95 percent,  (2) determine the extent to which the program’s current capabilities can  support those identified requirements and (3) develop a plan to address  any gap between those capabilities and requirements and identify the  estimated costs of any enhancements needed. As NASA’s task group on space communications considers how program  requirements can be better integrated into overall agency goals for space  communications capabilities, we recommend that the NASA Administrator  direct the group to consider the following in carrying out its task:   (1) identify what priority program-level requirements have in agency-level  decisions affecting space communications, (2) determine how program- level requirements for space communications programs can be identified  and communicated to agency-level decision makers, and (3) establish how  the agency can identify program-level investments needed to address  program requirements that support agency wide goals for space  communications and how to coordinate those investments to avoid  duplication and additional costs.
Why GAO Did This Study

The President's Vision for Space Exploration calls for human and robotic missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. In response, over the next two decades, NASA may spend $100 billion on new technologies and facilities that will require reliable ground communications to achieve those missions. Presently, that communications capability is provided by NASA's Deep Space Network--a system of antennas located at three sites around the world. However, the Network faces challenges that may hinder its provision of current and future mission support. This report discusses (1) the significant operational challenges faced by the Deep Space Network and (2) the extent to which NASA is integrating the Network into its future communications plans.

What GAO Found

While NASA's Deep Space Network can meet most requirements of its current workload, it may not be able to meet near-term and future demand. The system--suffering from an aging, fragile infrastructure with some crucial components over 40 years old--has lost science data during routine operations and critical events. In addition, new customers find they must compete for this limited capacity, not just with each other, but also with legacy missions extended past their lifetimes, such as NASA's Voyager, that nonetheless return valuable science. Program officials doubt they can provide adequate coverage to an increasing set of new mission customers, especially if they increase dramatically under the President's Vision. The Deep Space Network's future utility is also in question because NASA does not currently match funding for space communications capabilities with agency wide space communications requirements. While NASA created an agency level entity to review the technical requirements for integrating assets like the network into an agency wide space communications architecture for the future, that entity does not address program level requirements nor influence investment decisions. Control over such requirements and funding remains with the mission directorates and programs themselves. This disconnect allows programs to invest in capabilities that may undercut agency wide goals for space communications. After this review was initiated, NASA began to study how to better manage this gap between agency-level requirements and program-level funding, but no recommendations for action have yet been proposed.