How ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 got a tech boost from NASA and ESA

Global backup support is crucial during space missions and this especially applies to spacecraft landing. In India, ISRO operates a 32-meter deep space tracking facility that plays a crucial role in locating, tracking, and communicating with its remote spacecraft.

However, there are instances when ISRO needs to communicate with or track a spacecraft that’s positioned outside the coverage area of this antenna.

Constructing new large antennas and control centers worldwide is a costly endeavor. To solve this, ISRO sought assistance from partner organizations. This approach not only proves cost-effective but also promotes collaborative efforts in international space exploration. Know how NASA and ESA are collaborating with ISRO in the Chandrayaan-3 mission:

ESA’s Contribution:

ESA ground stations on Earth have stayed connected with the spacecraft to ensure its successful operation. ESA is playing a pivotal role in the Chandrayaan-3 mission. It is utilizing its ground stations within the ESTRACK network to closely monitor the spacecraft’s journey. Two ground stations, the ESA’s 15-meter antenna in Kourou, French Guiana, and the 32-meter antenna at Goonhilly Earth Station in the U.K., have been employed to track the satellite, receive telemetry data, and relay commands between ISRO’s Mission Operations Centre in Bengaluru and the Chandrayaan-3 satellite.

With the lunar landing attempt set for August 23, the ESA has further extended its support by deploying its 35-meter deep space antenna in New Norcia, Australia. This antenna will be critical during the Lunar Descent phase. It will provide real-time information about the Lander Module’s health, location, and trajectory. These valuable scientific data will be received by the ground stations Kourou and Goonhilly and will be forwarded to the ISRO.

NASA’s Involvement:

NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) has been instrumental in providing telemetry and tracking coverage during Chandrayaan-3’s powered descent phase.

The network’s DSS-36 and DSS34 stations at the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, followed by DSS-65 at the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex, are assisting in receiving crucial data from the spacecraft.

With the collaboration of ESA and NASA, ISRO is on its way to creating history and making India the 4th nation to execute a successful lunar landing mission.

Addtional Information:

Mar 8, 2023: NASA-ISRO Science Instruments Arrive in India Ahead of 2024 Launch

NISAR will feature the most advanced radar system ever launched on a NASA science mission and will help us study natural hazards, melting sea ice, groundwater supply, and more.

The NISAR Earth science mission has moved a step closer to its 2024 launch. Its science payload of two radar systems, one built by NASA and the other by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), recently completed the journey from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California to ISRO’s U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, India. Soon, teams at the facility will combine the radar systems with the satellite’s body, or bus, and run it through tests in advance of its three-year mission.

Climate Change: Once in operation, NISAR will be able to collect measurements day and night, in all weather conditions, and its trove of data will help researchers better understand a broad range of Earth science topics ( https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-scientists-and-satellites-make-sense-of-earths-subtle-motions ) , including landslides ( https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/scientists-track-tropical-landslide-creeping-below-an-african-city ), groundwater loss ( https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-finds-new-way-to-monitor-underground-water-loss ), and the carbon cycle ( https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-study-finds-tropical-forests-ability-to-absorb-carbon-dioxide-is-waning ).

Short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, NISAR will observe nearly all of Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, measuring movements in extremely fine detail.

It will also survey forests and agricultural regions to help scientists understand carbon exchange between plants and the atmosphere.

NISAR’s payload will be the most advanced radar system ever launched as part of a NASA science mission, and it will feature the largest-ever radar antenna of its kind: a drum-shaped, wire mesh reflector nearly 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter that will extend from a 30-foot (9-meter) boom.

Source: HT TECH, NASA, Youtube, Wikipedia