The communication antenna is used primarily for test flights to receive downlink flight data and video from test aircraft and also to support command uplink of data to test aircraft for command and control. It is one of two such assets of the Dryden Aeronautical Test Range at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.

Jesus Vazquez, Zach Springer and Sonja Belcher, from left, are at stations in the Mobile Operations Facility 5 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. The mobile station support included the Pad Abort-1 test of the Orion Launch Abort System at White Sands, New Mexico, the first Dream Chaser air launch and most recently supported the TigerShark remotely piloted aircraft for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System flights.

Kevin Knutson sits at a station in the main Blue Control Room at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California used during complex flight missions to house the many technical discipline experts required to gather all of the required data and to enhance mission safety.

The communication antenna is used primarily for test flights to receive downlink flight data and video from test aircraft and also to support command uplink of data to test aircraft for command and control. It is one of two such assets of the Dryden Aeronautical Test Range at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.

The Triplex 7M telemetry antenna at far right and the two radars to the left are a few assets of the Dryden Aeronautical Test Range at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.

The Dryden Aeronautical Test Range at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California uses radars, such as those in the photo, for tracking aircraft and spacecraft.

The Dryden Aeronautical Test Range staff at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California monitor all aircraft flights from the center as well as supporting the International Space Station and Russian Soyuz missions. Sitting from left to right are Bailey Cook, Lucio Ortiz, Matt Kearns, Sonja Belcher, John Batchelor, Jeff Koenig, Will Peters, Russ Franz, Zack Springer and Mike Webb. Standing left to right are Joy Bland, Doug Boston, April Norcross, Randy Torres, Robert Racicot, Jesus Vazquez, Jim Abercromby, Steve Simison, Tracy Ackeret, Chris Birkinbine, Darryl Burkes, Joe Innis, Bruce Lipe, Pat Ray, Kevin Knutson, Greg Strombo, Bart Rusnak, Tim Burt, Al Guajardo, Feras, Abu-Issa and Hector Rodriquez.

The Dryden Aeronautical Test Range at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California uses radars, such as those in the photo, for tracking aircraft and spacecraft.

Jeff Koenig and Carlos Torres  at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California prepare to support communications with the International Space Station and the Soyuz spacecraft scheduled for a rendezvous later that day.

Sonja Belcher and Zach Springer show some of what they would do during a flight mission at a Telemetry and Radar Acquisition Processing System at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California

Mission operator Mike Webb sits at one of the radar stations used to track the International Space Station as it passes high above NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Sept. 30, 2025. Webb is part of the center’s Dryden Aeronautical Test Range, which provides voice and tracking support to the space station.

Mission technician Phillips Boche checks on components that support radar tracking at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Sept. 30, 2025. Boche is part of the center’s Dryden Aeronautical Test Range, which provides voice and tracking support to the International Space Station.

Mission technicians, from left, Adam Cataldo, Alex Oganesyan, Daniel Kelly, Deming Ingles, Mike Gibson, and Kelvin Menendez support communications backup for an International Space Station mission on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The team is part of the center’s Dryden Aeronautical Test Range, which provides voice and tracking support to the space station.

Mission operator Kelvin Menendez watches as antennas rise to track the International Space Station as it passes high above NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Sept. 30, 2025. Menendez is part of the center’s Dryden Aeronautical Test Range, which provides voice and tracking support to the space station.

This is one of two radars that support radar tracking of the International Space Station at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Sept. 30, 2025. Radar tracking is one of the key capabilities of the center’s Dryden Aeronautical Test Range, which provides voice and tracking support to the International Space Station.

Range operators at the Dryden Aeronautical Test Range at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, provide voice and tracking support to the International Space Station. In this Friday, Dec. 6, 2025, photo, Alex Oganesyan, left, and Deming Ingles are shown at their workstations, where they support communications backup for space station missions.

Range operators at the Dryden Aeronautical Test Range at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, provide voice and tracking support to the International Space Station. In this Friday, Dec. 6, 2025, photo, Alex Oganesyan, left, and Deming Ingles are shown at their workstations, where they support communications backup for space station missions.