NASA Evacuates 90 From Madrid Deep Space Station as Wildfires Force Shift to California
Updated
Updated · Spaceflight Now · Jul 24
NASA Evacuates 90 From Madrid Deep Space Station as Wildfires Force Shift to California
3 articles · Updated · Spaceflight Now · Jul 24
Summary
NASA pulled 90 workers from its Madrid Deep Space Network station as wildfires swept near Robledo de Chavela, with the site still awaiting a damage assessment.
Goldstone in California took over mission support immediately, NASA said, keeping spacecraft communications uninterrupted while crews and local authorities tried to protect the complex.
The Madrid station is one of only three Deep Space Network sites providing 24/7 global coverage for deep-space missions, alongside Goldstone and Canberra.
The evacuation came as Spain's fires displaced more than 25,000 people and left over 20,000 under lockdown near Madrid.
The threat adds strain to a network already facing capacity issues after California antenna DSS-14 suffered a 2025 mishap that caused $4.1 million to $4.6 million in damage.
With climate change fueling unstoppable mega-fires across Europe, are coastal tourist havens like Cap Ferret becoming too dangerous for summer habitation?
As 10-meter flames trap thousands on a French peninsula, can the EU emergency fleet arrive in time to avert a historic tragedy?
After losing firefighters to unpredictable blazes, how will overwhelmed European nations adapt their strategies to fight these increasingly apocalyptic firestorms?