Installation of Isro's Deep Space Network (DSN-32) antenna at Byalalu village near Bangalore has been completed. Performance tests in the coming weeks will see the scene set for reception of telemetry signals from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft as also transmission of commands to the craft.
India's moon mission, Chandrayaan-1 is poised to take off in April 2008 and the DSN is an integral part of the mission.  Standing tall and imposing in the valley surrounded by low hills (acting as a natural barrier for unwanted signals), the dish shaped antenna is a proud proof of what the country's scientists and engineers can achieve.
"The DSN is the first of its kind in the country to handle deep space missions, going beyond the moon mission. It is on par with international standards. With this India has the capability to handle data from the moon, mars and beyond," said S K Shivakumar, director,
Istrac (ISRO)
Its huge dimensions mean it can receive and interpret faint signals from beyond one lakh km! At 32 metre width, it’s comparable to other antenna of its kind elsewhere in the world, he said.  At present Nasa operates one with 70 metre width and China a 34 m antenna.
The rest are of smaller dimensions. The antenna can be manoeuvred for both horizontal and vertical movement to track any craft or moving object. A precise beam pointing accuracy and reflector surface allows for precise measurements.
Over 38 industries and construction companies came together in a "national expedition" to set up the antenna costing Rs 100 crores out of the Rs 386 crores for Chandrayaan.
 "The primary contributor to the making of the antenna was Hyderabad based ECIL while BARC pitched in for control systems, Godrej helped with the beam waveguide and various centres of Isro helped with various aspects. The software has been totally developed by Isro," said Shivakumar.
 Deep space missions
The network at Bangalore will benefit international deep space missions which hitherto relied on antenna in California, Spain and Australia. "Bangalore is ideally situated to fill the gap in between and also being close to the equator offers more hours of observation," said the director.
Except for a low noise amplifier and two other electronic equipment the DSN has been totally indigenously developed.
Huge dish
The huge dish is made up of 180 panels of aluminum and weighs over 60 tonnes. A beam wave guide which works like a periscope directs the radiation from space into the computer system at the base from where it can be accessed at  Istrac centres in Bangalore.
Performance tests in the coming days will be carried out by tracking some deep space probe. Meanwhile a 18 metre antenna imported has been set up in the area as a back-up.