Overview
- The Sierra Oeste wildfire advanced toward Robledo de Chavela on Friday, leaving the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) in a described 'critical' state and prompting the evacuation of about 50 on‑site workers.
- Emergency teams and regional commanders are focused on physically protecting the six large antennas at the INTA facility while assessing whether flames entered the fenced compound.
- Station managers said some communications with equipment were briefly recovered, NASA has been informed, and the full extent of any damage to dishes or electronics remains unknown.
- MDSCC is one of three Deep Space Network sites, with partner stations in Goldstone, California, and Canberra, Australia, and that geographic split provides redundancy that managers say reduces immediate risk to ongoing missions.
- Authorities have ordered mass evacuations and activated national emergency coordination, and the next key updates to watch are official damage assessments from INTA and operational notices from NASA about any lasting impact on mission support.