TÉLÉ-satellite 0609 - TELE-satellite International Magazine

Satellites over India
P. SriVatsa
Once the first Indian satellites had begun
to be built, it became necessary to constantly
monitor and control them. 180 km away from
Bangalore, in a place called Hassan, the ideal
location was found: it‘s in the midst of a
valley, otherwise known for its coffee farms,
and there is almost no electro magnetic interference
on ground. Another advantage is that
Indian Satellites
In June 2006 the Master Control Facility in Hassan, India, celebrated 25 years of monitoring
and controlling Indian satellites. We at TELE-satellite India took the chance, and visited the
place, to get first hand impressions about this first class facility.
Hassan Satellite Ground Station in India, spaciously located
in a tropical valley. Note the high elevation angles of dishes
Photos Courtesy ISRO
A view into the control center for Tracking and Telemetry
it is close to the ISRO headquarters in Bangalore.
The first impression is indeed great, since
everything about this place is huge, from
the buildings to the rows of giant 11 meter
and 7 meter white dish antennas, set against
the background of a beautiful green tropi-
SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY
cal valley. Each satellite has a dedicated
antenna pointed towards it. Each satellites
sends approximately 1000 parameters
every second, these telemetry data include
bus voltages, heat temperatures, and informations
as distance between Earth and the
satellite. All these data are received and
processed by sophisticated software built
in-house and its output is monitored by the
technical personnel.
As we enter the monitoring center, it is
apparent looking at the computer screen how
much detail this data has, even voltages as
small as 5 volts are monitored. In most cases
this monitoring is a matter of routine, however,
in case of an emergency, for example a
satellite becomes too cold or abnormal voltages
are noticed, the software automatically
sets of alerts, in which case the technical
personnel starts the recovery process.
We also got a chance to see the weather
photos taken by Indian Weather satellites, this
is exciting as in most cases satellite DXers do
not have the required equipment to receive
these specialized signals. Our tour ended with
a visit to the new library, where every possible
book on satellites are available.
One of the most notable vistors to this
center was in 1984 the then late Prime Minister
of India, Mrs.Indira Gandhi, who was wellknown
for showing interest in making India a
modern scientific country. A tree planted by
Mrs Indira Gandhi is still growing strong, perhaps
reflecting the healthy growth of ISRO.
We at TELE-satellite wish MCF all the best
on its well deserved 25th anniversary.
www.TELE-satellite.com — TELE-satellite International
37