Spain Wildfires Sweep Through Vital NASA Deep Space Complex, Staff Evacuated

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Madrid: A large, fast-moving wildfire blazed into NASA's Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) on Friday, July 24, forcing an emergency evacuation and risking crucial infrastructure that connects Earth to deep-space missions. Before the flames reached the complex at Robledo de Chavela, which is roughly 37 miles (65 kilometres) west of central Madrid, all personnel were safely evacuated.

Officials confirmed that the fire burnt directly through the facility grounds containing the station's large radio tracking dishes, but a complete evaluation of potential structural and technical damage will not take place until emergency teams pronounce the site safe to access.

The Madrid space station, operated in collaboration with Spain's National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), is one of three global hubs that comprise NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN), together with stations in Goldstone, California, and Canberra, Australia. The network continuously tracks interplanetary missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope, Mars rovers, and Voyager spacecraft.

To avoid losing touch with operational spacecraft, NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program promptly assigned tracking duties to the Goldstone complex. As a precaution, nearby structures were evacuated, including the European Space Agency's (ESA) Cebreros station. The tragedy occurred during the severe heatwave that caused uncontrolled wildfires and large evacuations throughout Spain and southern Europe.