Canberra, Australia and Madrid, Spain, DSN is tracking some 35 spacecraft with a success rate of better than 98 percent.

FORBES: Future Of NASA's Aging Deep Space Network Lies In X-Rays And Lasers

Deutsch notes that when the Mars Science Lab recently landed, as a backup capability the DSN used the Parkes Radio Observatory in Australia to look at its signal during entry, descent and landing.

FORBES: Future Of NASA's Aging Deep Space Network Lies In X-Rays And Lasers