NASA and ESA stations are sending data to ISRO.
New Delhi:
Where 1.4 billion Indians hold their breath Chandrayaan 3 As Chandrayaan 3 waits to land on the lunar surface, two international space agencies help track the spacecraft on its way to making history. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will help. Space stations from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) will provide tracking support to the mission operations team during the landing of the lander.
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In this regard, the Vikram lander, Chandrayaan 3 propulsion module and Chandrayaan 2 orbiter are orbiting the Moon at a distance of about 3.84 lakh kilometers from the Earth. The Earth and the Moon rotate on their axis and revolve around the Sun. Amidst the commotion, antennas on the ground are monitoring the lander’s gradual landing process. India’s largest 32 meter dish antenna at Bailu near Bengaluru is tracking Chandrayaan-3.
But many times the lander goes into the shadow region and cannot be tracked from here. In such a situation NASA and ESA’s Deep Space Network comes in handy. Although it is not a free service, India is paying for it. It depends on how many antennas are used and for how long.
So when the lander is not in sight of our antennas, NASA or ESA communicates with the lander and sends information to the mission operations team in Bengaluru.
However, it should be made clear that these networks supporting ISRO have no idea what the lander is supposed to do or communicate with. This control rests with the Mission Operations Team in Bengaluru and they only act as a communication link when ISRO cannot reach the lander through its network.
Chandrayaan-3 is likely to land on the lunar surface around 6 pm. Mass prayer programs are being organized across the country for its success. People are praying for the success of the mission. Suspense is especially high after Russia’s lunar mission ended with the crash of the Luna-25 spacecraft on Sunday.