From the Charles Elachi Mission Control Center at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Kathleen Harmon, the Artemis II Mission Interface Manager for NASA’s Deep Space Network, stands at the forefront of humanity’s ambitious return to the Moon. For Harmon, whose earliest memories are of watching Apollo launches on television, her current role in the Artemis program represents a profound connection to the legacy of space exploration that first captivated her as a child.

Harmon’s critical work revolves around NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), an unparalleled international array of colossal radio antennas vital for communicating with spacecraft across the cosmos. Managed by JPL, the DSN is recognized as the world’s most extensive scientific telecommunications system, providing essential support to over 40 missions exploring the farthest reaches of space. This network forms the backbone of communication for NASA’s lunar-bound Artemis missions, acting as a crucial “lifeline” for spacecraft. As Harmon explains, “If you’re in a car and you’re going somewhere and you don’t have GPS or a cellphone, you might get lost… The network provides that lifeline to spacecraft across the solar system, and even interstellar space, so that they can talk to Earth and send back amazing science data, images, and videos from Mars rovers, space telescopes, orbiters, and more.”

In her capacity as a mission interface manager, Harmon leverages her background as a systems engineer and decades of NASA experience to meticulously prepare missions for their launch and subsequent operations. This demanding role necessitates extensive coordination and collaboration among international partners, a complexity compounded by the DSN’s global distribution of radio antennas. She was instrumental in ensuring the Deep Space Network was fully prepared to support the Artemis II spacecraft well in advance of its launch. The network’s unique architecture, featuring three complexes strategically spaced around the globe, guarantees that as Earth rotates, at least one complex is always in direct view, maintaining uninterrupted communication with spacecraft. This operational strategy, affectionately termed “follow the Sun” by the network team, ensures consistent connectivity.

During the Artemis II mission, the Deep Space Network provided continuous, round-the-clock support using both a prime and a backup antenna. Simultaneously, the DSN maintained vital communication links with robotic rovers and other spacecraft scattered throughout the solar system, demonstrating its multifaceted capabilities. Harmon’s contributions have been integral to missions ranging from Juno to Voyager, but it is her involvement with the Artemis program that truly resonates with her childhood inspiration. Reflecting on her journey, Harmon expresses excitement about bridging the Apollo and Artemis generations, declaring, “This is a Golden Age of exploration.”