Isro enters X-band telemetry & command regime with new 18m antenna

The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) has installed a new 18m antenna, which will allow the space agency to carry out telemetry and command operations on the much faster X band (frequency) for the first time. Isro has so far only used the X band for data delivery and the S band for telemetry and command. The X band can be found in 8GHz to 10GHz, compared to the S band, which can be found in 2GHz to 4GHz. This is a historic milestone, according to sources at Isro, which claims that it increases the execution speed of commands and reduces the possibility of interference because the S band is now used by telecom operators for 5G.

Both the native antenna and station are able to perform transmit and receive operations in the S and X bands. According to a senior scientist, it is CCSDS compliant, providing interoperability and cross-support between different space agencies. It is equipped with auto-tracking functionality in both the bands and is remotely operated from the Isro Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (Istrac) network control center. According to one scientist, Isro has not been able to offer services until now because international organisations such as Nasa have already migrated to the X band for telemetry and command operations.

Isro chairman K Sivan said that the antenna has been installed in Byalalu here, having been developed by ECIL (Electronics Corporation of India Limited) with some of the key components coming from BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre). It marks a new age in which we can perform telemetry measurements in a new band, and it will also give NSIL opportunities to commercialize it in the future. According to Sivan, the order for the said antenna came from Aditya-L1 and has been dispatched as part of the mission’s preparations. It could be used in other deep space missions and satellites in the future, he said.

This program, which features multiple payloads, also provides an opportunity for solar scientists from diverse parts of the region to participate in space-based instrumentation and observations. According to Isro, the enhanced Aditya-L1 initiative would provide a comprehensive look at the sun’s dynamical processes and help solve some of the most difficult questions in solar physics. The Times Bureau