4.1.2 Managing Risk in NASA's Deep Space Network

Abstract The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Deep Space Network (DSN) was established in the late 1950's, to provide specialized and continuous two‐way communications with NASA's deep space and planetary missions. Since then, the DSN has become a “world leader in the development of low‐noise receivers, tracking, telemetry and command systems, digital signal processing and deep space navigation.” 1 The global configuration of the DSN complexes, the collaboration with foreign government agencies, the complex management and reporting structure, combined with the uniqueness and criticality of the mission data being captured by the DSN antennas all contribute significant challenges to the operation of the network. One of a kind, mission critical science data must be preserved and thus a rigorous risk management approach is critical to ensuring mission success. This paper will describe the risk management process that has been developed and implemented for managing risk within the DSN. The research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.