NASA and ESA Facilities Avoid Major Damage From Wildfires in Spain
NASA said the Madrid site avoided major damage, and Canberra and Goldstone took over communications as nearly 300,000 people were evacuated.
- On Saturday, July 25, NASA confirmed that the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex avoided significant structural damage after a wildfire swept through the site.
- NASA evacuated the MDSCC on July 24, located in Robledo, Chavela, about 65 kilometers west of Madrid, as a major wildfire swept through the region.
- An initial inspection by the NASA emergency response team found fire damage restricted to pavement and vegetation, while an ESA ground station near Cerberos, Spain, 77 kilometers west of Madrid, also survived.
- NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens stated that Goldstone and Canberra sites assumed control of the DSN, using "follow the sun" approach to maintain uninterrupted spacecraft communications.
- Comprehensive assessments will proceed as conditions stabilize and access improves. The DSN previously faced capacity challenges, exacerbated by damage that took the 70-meter antenna at Goldstone out of service until 2028.
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Deep space dishes dodge devastation from Spanish wildfires
Radio antennas for the European Space Agency and NASA appear to have escaped the worst effects of wildfires in Spain, though NASA's site sustained some cable damage. Over the weekend, a NASA spokesperson confirmed there was "no significant structural damage observed to antennas or buildings" at the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) despite fire ravaging the area. The spokesperson cautioned that "the situation remains dynamic" and …
The flames forced the eviction of the NASA complex in Robledo de Chavela, which had to be supported by U.S. and Australian centers, while telecommunications technicians waged their own battle so that hundreds of families could speak to each other again.
On July 25, an initial onsite inspection by the NASA Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) emergency response team found wildfire damage primarily to pavement and surrounding vegetation, with no significant structural damage observed to antennas or buildings.… pic.twitter.com/WvrspnBW6z— Bethany Stevens (@NASASpox) July 25, 2026 The U.S. Embassy in Madrid reported on July 26 via Twitter (now X) that all MDSCC personnel were safe.
The station is tracked barely suffers damage from the fires, which are still active
The North American space organization has emphasized that the protection of its employees remains its top priority.
A hundred workers work
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