Australia lets world know India's Mars Orbiter Mission has arrived

Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on its Mars Orbiter Mission, which arrived in the orbit above the red planet.

The largest antenna dish in the southern hemisphere, CDSCC’s Deep Space Station 43, which has supported many important space missions, today captured the minute signals from the mission and confirmed its successful entering into orbit.

“I commend ISRO on this historic event,”  Suckling said. “It is an important milestone for ISRO and for Indian space research and exploration.

Suckling said it was an example of the expanding scientific cooperation between Australia and India.

“I welcome Australia’s and India’s strengthening cooperation in space exploration,” he said.

“The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex is the prime station for the mission as it relays data to mission control at ISRO’s Telemetry Tracking and Command Network in Bangalore. This is a critical element of this mission.”

Australia and India have a strong record of cooperation in space research and exploration, signing a Memorandum of Understanding on Civil Space Cooperation in 2012.

Photo caption: First Secretary Tarun Kumar, India High Commission in Canberra (Australia), CDSCC Director, Dr Ed Kruzins, CSIRO and Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Australia, Surinder Kumar Datta, at the Deep Space Station 43 today (24 September) as it communicates with ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission shortly before it entered the Mars orbit.