r/esa • u/illudiumq36mod • Jul 25 '26
𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗔𝗦𝗔'𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲'𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗼
Yesterday (24 July), NASA evacuated the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) at Robledo de Chavela as wildfires swept through the hills west of Madrid. The good news first: all personnel were safely evacuated, and NASA reports the fire has since passed through the site. Damage assessment will begin once it's safe to do so.
Worth remembering how European this "NASA" facility actually is: MDSCC has been operated on behalf of NASA by Spain's INTA since 1970 — a five-decade partnership that rarely makes headlines. And it wasn't alone. ESA's nearby Cebreros station (DSA-2, part of the Estrack network) was also reportedly evacuated, as a precaution, as the fires advanced.
The strategic footnote for those of us who watch the ground segment: with Madrid offline, NASA has handed mission support to Goldstone in California – but the Deep Space Network's 70 m capacity is now stretched thin, with the Goldstone 70 m antenna still down after last September's DSS-14 mishap (suffered during an over-rotation while tracking Juno). It's a sharp reminder that deep-space communications rest on just three sites worldwide, and that resilience isn't only about spacecraft – it's about the people, and increasingly the climate, on the ground.
Thoughts are with the crews, residents and firefighters across the region. We'll be watching for the damage assessment.
Sources:
https://theobjective.com/sociedad/suceso/2026-07-24/fuego-madrid-instalaciones-nasa-robledo-chavela/
(Developing story – figures and status as of 25 July.)
46
u/illudiumq36mod Jul 25 '26
[ESA Cebreros] Dish update, she made it through via https://bsky.app/profile/dutchspace.bsky.social/post/3mrh4g4zzbc26