Overview
- The DSS-14 70‑meter antenna at Goldstone over-rotated while tracking the Juno spacecraft on Sept. 16, 2025, tearing cables and fire-suppression lines and flooding the antenna base with water and glycol.
- A redacted final mishap report found a cascade of faults beginning with an inoperable hydraulic limit and repeated rotation-limit contacts that operators tried to troubleshoot before the over-rotation occurred.
- Investigators singled out human and organizational causes, citing inadequate training, weak procedures, reliance on undocumented practices, unclear roles and a culture of so-called 'hero mode' that pushed staff to work beyond qualifications.
- NASA classified the event as a Type A mishap with estimated damage of $4.1 million to $4.6 million and says DSS-14 will remain offline as it undergoes repairs and upgrades through October 2028 while SCaN assesses the wider network.
- The mishap highlights long-term strains on the aging Deep Space Network, which is operating above original capacity, and accelerates plans to pair hardware upgrades such as new antennas with stronger training, procedures and institutional knowledge to protect missions and staff.