The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) will take part in India's first Mars operation, by providing satellite tracking, telemetry and command services.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its PSLV-C25 rocket carrying the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft this week. Less than two hours after the launch, SANSA's Hartebeesthoek ground station acquired the satellite signal and is providing the craft with transfer-orbit support services (TOSS).
Pandey Shyam, an ISRO scientist stationed at Hartebeesthoek for the TOSS duration, explains that the ground station is the closest point to the satellite per pass. "The satellite is in its elliptical orbit, and several manoeuvres are planned before the final Mars injection manoeuvre, which should take place around 30 November," says Shyam.
MOM will orbit the Earth for 20 to 25 days, before embarking on a nine-month expedition to Mars. This is India's first deep space mission and is aimed at establishing the country's technological capabilities. It will look for signs of life on the red planet and study its surroundings.
The Mars Orbiter has five unique instruments on board: a Lyman Alpha photometer, a Mars exospheric neutral composition analyser, a Mars colour camera, a thermal infrared imaging spectrometer, and a methane sensor for Mars. Shyam explains what makes the mission different to others is the methane sensor, because if methane is detected, it could be an indication of life.
If the orbiter reaches Mars successfully, India will become the first Asian country to have a spacecraft orbiting the red planet and the sixth agency to launch a spacecraft heading for Mars.
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