Last week, the Japanese lunar mission SELENE (Koguya), which was unveiled in 2007 and is now orbiting the moon was successfully tracked by Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN), which is an intelligent communications infrastructure, designed and set up by the Indian Space Research Organization to transmit and receive signals from Chandrayaan 1. 

According to S. K. Shiva Kumar, Director, ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command (ISTRAC), “We have been able to establish downlink with the spacecraft with the help of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).”

He further added, “We have also been able to bring uplink fairly quickly, establish contact with the spacecraft and track the spacecraft successfully. That has given us ample confidence. If you have tracked a similar object closer to the moon and have been able to establish links with it with good margins, to that extent your comfort level is high. You don’t have to worry about our capability to do [it] with Chandrayaan.”

The IDSN has been set up 40 km away from Bangalore at a village called Byalalu. Cahndrayaan, which is expected to be launched on 22nd October, is all dependent upon this set up, since it is the constant communication link to the lunar satellite from the ground. It has been set up with the aim to track and also to control orbit and housekeeping operations for the entire duration of the moon mission, which is of about two years.