Canberra Deep Space Network antenna offline for 11-month upgrade

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Picture: Equipped/NASA/Canberra Deep Area Communication Advanced

NASA has introduced that its Deep Area Community (DSN) radio antenna in Canberra can be taken offline whereas it undergoes “vital” upgrades over the subsequent 11 months, which can end in Voyager 2 being unable to obtain instructions from Earth.

The Canberra-based facility is the one antenna that may ship instructions to the Voyager 2 spacecraft.

The area company mentioned regardless of the influence, the upgrades are essential, provided that some elements of the 70-metre antenna, together with the transmitters that ship instructions to varied spacecrafts, are 40 years previous, which will increase the danger of unplanned outages and subsequently provides threat to the Voyager mission. 

“Clearly, the 11 months of repairs places extra constraints on the opposite DSN websites,” mentioned Jeff Berner, DSN chief engineer. “However the benefit is that after we come again, the Canberra antenna can be far more dependable.”

In the course of the downtime, the Voyager crew will put Voyager 2, which is at present on a mission to discover the interstellar medium, into what it refers to as a “quiescent state” to permit it to ship again science knowledge throughout the 11 months. 

See additionally: Canberra reaffirms dedication to Australia’s future in area

As soon as the improve is accomplished, NASA mentioned the DSN dish may probably be used to help communication and navigation for different missions, such because the Mars 2020 rover and Moon to Mars missions. 

“The upkeep is required to help the missions that NASA is growing and launching sooner or later, in addition to supporting the missions which are working proper now,” Voyager challenge supervisor Suzanne Dodd mentioned. 

The work on the Canberra DSN station is because of be accomplished by January 2021.

Earlier this 12 months, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Analysis Organisation (CSIRO) introduced it will be upgrading the Parkes radio telescope, with The Dish to get a brand new receiver that has been touted will “considerably” improve the quantity of sky that may be seen at anybody time.

CSIRO mentioned this may allow new science and help native innovation within the area sector.

The improve comes due to grants from the Australian Analysis Council Linkage Infrastructure, Tools and Services (LIEF), which is funding the event of a brand new receiver for the Parkes radio telescope and a serious improve for the Australia Telescope Compact Array close to Narrabri in NSW.

AU$1.15 million from LIEF will help the AU$three million challenge to construct a delicate receiver, referred to as cryoPAF, for the telescope.

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