Radio Astronomy with NASA's Deep Space Network

The Deep Space Network (DSN) is the spacecraft tracking and communication infrastructure for NASA's deep space missions. At three sites, approximately equally separated in (terrestrial) longitude, there are multiple radio antennas outfitted with cyrogenic microwave receiving systems both for receiving transmissions from deep space spacecraft and for conducting radio astronomical observations, particularly in the L~band (1350\,MHz--1800\,MHz), X~band (8200\,MHz--8600\,MHz), and K~band (18\,GHz--27\,GHz). In particular, the 70\,m antennas at the Canberra and Madrid DSN Complexes are well-equipped to participate in international very long baseline interferometery (VLBI) observations. Over the past five years, there has been an effort to refurbish and modernize equipment such as receiving and signal transport systems for radio astronomical observations. We summarize both current capabilities, on-going refurbishment activities, and include possible future opportunities.