Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) is a network of large antennas and communication facilities operated by the

Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman o ...

to support the interplanetary

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, ...

missions of India. Its hub is located at Byalalu, Ramanagar in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

in India. It was inaugurated on 17 October 2008 by the former

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman o ...

chairman G. Madhavan Nair. Similar networks are run by USA,

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, and

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Introduction

The network consists of the

ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), over the years, has established a comprehensive global network of ground stations to provide Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TTC) support to satellite and launch vehicle missions. These facilities ar ...

(ISTRAC), augmented by a fully steerable and a DSN

antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...

which improves the visibility duration when compared with the existing ISTRAC system. The Indian Deep Space Network implements a

baseband In telecommunications and signal processing, baseband is the range of frequencies occupied by a signal that has not been modulated to higher frequencies. Baseband signals typically originate from transducers, converting some other variable i ...

system adhering to

Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) was founded in 1982 for governmental and quasi-governmental space agencies to discuss and develop standards for space data and information systems. Currently composed of "eleven member agenc ...

(CCSDS) Standards, thus facilitating cross-support among the Telemetry Tracking Command (TTC) agencies. The two antennas at the Byalalu complex have built-in support facilities. A

fibre optic An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means t ...

link will provide necessary communication link between the DSN station and SCC/NCC/ISSDC. The 18 m antenna is provisioned to receive two downlink carriers in

S band The S band is a designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for a part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum covering frequencies from 2 to 4 gigahertz (GHz). Thus it crosses the conventi ...

and two carriers in X band ( RCP and LCP), whereas the uplink is either RCP or LCP. It has a G/T of 30/39.5 dB/k (45° elevation, clear sky) for S/X-Band. The 32 m antenna is of a wheel-and-track design. The antenna is designed to provide uplink in both

S-Band The S band is a designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for a part of the microwave radio band, band of the electromagnetic spectrum covering frequency, frequencies from 2 to 4 gigahertz (GHz). Thus it c ...

and X-Band (20 kW) either through RCP or LCP. The reception capability will be in both S band and X band (simultaneous RCP and LCP). It can receive two carriers in S band and two carriers in X band. The system will have a G/T of 37.5/51 dB/k (45° elevation, clear sky) for S/X Band. The station may be controlled remotely from the ISTRAC Control Centre (NCC) at Bangalore. The IDSN facility in Byalalu also houses the ISRO Navigation Centre (INC). The centre became active on 12 June 2013, at the time of launch of

IRNSS-1A IRNSS-1A is the first navigational satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) series of satellites been placed in geosynchronous orbit. Satellite The satellite has been developed at a cost of , and was launched on 1 J ...

, the first of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System series of satellites. The INC has a high stability

atomic clock An atomic clock is a clock that measures time by monitoring the resonant frequency of atoms. It is based on atoms having different energy levels. Electron states in an atom are associated with different energy levels, and in transitions betwe ...

. It will be used to co-ordinate across 21 ground stations in

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Antennas (other than ISTRAC)

32 m antenna

The main antenna is a 32-meter Deep Space Antenna. The wheel and track 32 m antenna is a state-of-the-art system that supported the Chandrayaan-1 mission operations. It is currently supporting

Mars Orbiter Mission The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called ''Mangalyaan'', was a space probe orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. It was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was India's first interplanetary mis ...

This is co-located with 18 m antenna in the IDSN site at Byalalu. A fibre optics / satellite link will provide the necessary connectivity between the IDSN site and Spacecraft Control Centre / Network Control Centre. This antenna is designed to provide uplink in both S-Band (20/2 kW) and X-Band (2.5 kW), either through RCP or LCP. The reception capability will be in both S-Band and X-Band (simultaneous RCP & LCP). It can receive two carriers in S-Band and one carrier in X-Band, simultaneously. The system will have a G/T of 37.5/51 dB/K (45° elevation, clear sky) for S/X-Band. The base-band will adhere to CCSDS Standards facilitating cross-support among the space agencies. The station is also equipped for remote control from the ISTRAC Network Control Centre (NCC).

18 m antenna

The second antenna is an 18-meter Deep Space Antenna.

11 m antenna

The third antenna is an 11-meter terminal antenna.

Chandrayaan-1

The Indian Deep Space Network was built to track and support India's first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1, an unmanned lunar exploration mission. It was launched on 22 October 2008. The IDSN was used for tracking, orbit control and housekeeping operations of India's lunar mission for its entire duration of operation (Planned to be 2 years, achieved only 312 days). IDSN began to track Chandrayaan 17 minutes after its launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Launch Centre at

Sriharikota Sriharikota is a Barrier island off the Bay of Bengal coast located in the Shar Project settlement of Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It houses the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, one of the two satellite launch centres in India (the ...

, when the probe separated from the launch vehicle.

Mars Orbiter Mission

IDSN is being used to track the ongoing Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) also known as Mangalyaan.

References

External links

Official ISRO websiteIndian Deep Space NetworkOfficial Chandrayaan-1 Website
{{Indian space programme Deep Space Network Indian Space Research Organisation facilities Buildings and structures in Ramanagara district 2008 establishments in Karnataka Energy infrastructure completed in 2008