Chandrayaan-3: European Space Agency tracking lander module from three ground stations, says official

The Chandrayaan-3 Mission aims at a safe soft landing of the lander module on the unexplored southern pole of the Moon at 06.04 PM IST today.

Besides the scientists at the ISRO, officials at the European Space Agency are also involved in tracking the lander module of the Chandrayaan-3 mission which is just hours away from making a soft landing on the surface of the Moon, a senior scientist said on August 23.

European Space Agency Service Manager and Liaison Officer to ISRO Ramesh Chellathurai said the ESA has been providing support to the Chandrayaan-3 mission since the pandemic. Introducing himself in a brief video, which was shared on social media, Chellathurai said, "I work for the European Space Agency at the European Space Operations Centre, in Darmstadt Germany. Within the European Space Operations Centre, I work for the Deep Space and External Services Section wherein we provide support for ESA’s deep space missions and external agencies."

He said ESA was providing support to the Chandrayaan-3 mission from three of its ground stations located in Kourou (French Guiana), Goonhilly (United Kingdom), and New Norcia (Western Australia). "Currently, these stations are tracking the Chandrayaan-3 lander module and we are green (ready to go) to support the landing which is supposed to happen shortly," he said. The ESA and ISRO teams began working together during the pandemic.

Together they overcame logistical challenges such as carrying out activities from home offices across Europe and India and getting essential compatibility testing equipment from ISRO to the European Space Operations Centre in Germany, the European Space Agency said. "If you are following our support to #Chandrayaan-3, you might think it is our giant mechanical antennas doing all the hard work. But it is the humans that make a space mission special. Ramesh is part of the ESA team that has been preparing for today for over two years," ESA said. "Behind every spacecraft are incredible teams. Behind every historic moment are years of hard work. All the best ISRO! Go Chandrayaan-3!" the European Space Agency said in the social media post.

The Chandrayaan-3 Mission aims at a safe soft landing of the lander module on the unexplored southern pole of the Moon at 06.04 PM IST today. It would make India the fourth country to achieve this remarkable feat after the United States, the erstwhile Soviet Union, and China.