DSN Now Screensaver
The DSN Now screensaver is a live look at NASA's Deep Space Network — which giant antenna is talking to which spacecraft right now, from Voyager to Mars orbiters — from the key-less DSN Now feed. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
How the DSN Now screensaver works
The saver reads NASA's DSN Now feed, the live status of the Deep Space Network's giant dish antennas at Goldstone, Madrid and Canberra.
For each antenna it shows which spacecraft it's currently tracking — Voyager, Mars orbiters, deep-space probes — and whether it's sending or receiving.
Uplink and downlink indicators, the radio band and the data rate are shown the way mission controllers see them.
The feed is near-real-time, so the links shift as antennas hand off between spacecraft.
A worked example
You might see Canberra's 70-metre dish locked onto VGR2 (Voyager 2) on a downlink, while Madrid talks to a Mars orbiter — the antennas and their targets changing through the day as the network juggles deep-space traffic.
Settings & tips
- Accent recolours the antenna and signal highlights.
- Background sets the console backdrop.
- The three complexes are spaced around the globe so one always faces deep space.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this really live?
- Yes. It's NASA's DSN Now feed, near-real-time, so the antenna-to-spacecraft links shown are the actual ones happening now.
- What spacecraft can appear?
- Anything the Deep Space Network supports — the Voyagers, Mars orbiters and landers, deep-space observatories and interplanetary probes.
- Does it need a key?
- No. The DSN Now feed is public and key-less; the saver only needs an internet connection.
- Why do the links keep changing?
- As Earth turns and spacecraft rise and set over each complex, antennas hand off and retarget — so the board updates continuously.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.