Chandrayaan - indian mission to moon

The Deep Space Network set up near Bangalore is readying itself for the much awaited moon mission in April. Deep space tracking will be initiated this week, signalling readiness of the network.

In April this year, a spacecraft weighing 1,330 kg will be sent hurling across to the moon. Covering this distance of over 3 lakh km in nine days, it will then become a satellite of the moon for a year and two, after which it will be crashed onto the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-1, as it is called, will be launched from Sriharikota aboard the PSLV launch vehicle this April. All later manoeuvres will be executed by the control centre at ISRO's telemetry, tracking and command network campus in Bangalore. The tracking will be done by ground stations of ISRO and also space agencies of US, Russia and Brazil.

But in addition to this, a two-way radio communication link between the craft and earth will be established through the Deep Space Network (DSN) set up at Byalalu village, 30-odd km from Bangalore.

Comprising a huge parabolic dish 32 metre wide and made of 180 panels of aluminum and weighing over 60 tonnes, it can receive and send radio signals from/to objects beyond 1 lakh km. It can perform telemetry, tracking and command operations in the S-band and receive science data in the X-band.

Read more at http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jan152008/snt2008011446616.asp

check out the photo of the parabolic dish here at this link
http://www.deccanherald.com/DeccanHerald.com/UserFiles/Image/Jan142008/st1.jpg