Goonhilly Earth Station is supporting three lunar and deep space missions to showcase its capabilities “as the only commercial, deep space, ground station in the world,” stated the company.
Following on from the success in supporting the Artemis-I mission, these missions, in collaboration with organizations such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the European Space Agency (ESA), and Intuitive Machines, further demonstrate Goonhilly’s existing and growing capabilities at a time when the business is expanding its footprint into other locations around the world.
The first two missions are by ISRO and are poised to assist in the understanding of celestial bodies. Goonhilly Earth Station will play an integral role in these endeavors.
For the recent, successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander mission, Goonhilly and ESA are providing key support during the cruise, lunar orbit and on-surface operations phases. Goonhilly’s involvement with the Aditya-L1 solar observatory mission will also encompass vital assistance during the cruise and operations phases.
ESA’s deep-space communication antennas, supplemented by Goonhilly’s GHY-6, will offer indispensable support to the Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 missions. These antennas will track the spacecraft, precisely determine their locations during critical stages, facilitate command transmission, and receive crucial telemetry and scientific data that will be forwarded to ESA’s ESOC mission control center in Darmstadt, Germany, before being sent on to ISRO for analysis.
In the case of the Chandrayaan-3 ‘Moon craft,’ Goonhilly’s GHY-6 antenna will be working alongside ESA’s Kourou antenna in French Guiana to provide this mission support, complementing ISRO’s own stations and NASA’s Deep Space Network.
Alongside the support for these ISRO missions, Goonhilly Earth Station will be involved with supporting Houston, Texas-based, Intuitive Machines‘ first mission to the Moon, IM-1, which aims to be the world’s first commercial lunar landing. Underscoring its position at the forefront of space commercialization, Goonhilly will extend its expertise during the cruise, lunar orbit, and on-surface operations.
Goonhilly has already been part of validating the lunar telemetry and tracking capabilities – the complete lunar communications solution required for this mission – by successfully acquiring and tracking NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) in an exercise with Intuitive Machines personnel. This partnership exemplifies Goonhilly’s dedication to enabling the success of emerging space enterprises and facilitating the growth of the global space industry.
Goonhilly Earth Station’s role in these transformative missions highlights the increasing demand for space communication infrastructure and the critical need for the company’s recently announced, international expansion. As the number of space missions surges, along with the emergence of new players in the market, Goonhilly is uniquely positioned to address the shortage of communications capacity. Through its unwavering support of these three missions, Goonhilly is spearheading a new era of space exploration and reinforcing its status as the world’s leading commercial deep space communications service provider.
“The collaborations with ISRO, ESA, and Intuitive Machines exemplify our commitment to advancing space exploration and facilitating global scientific achievements. As we witness an unprecedented surge in space missions and the emergence of new players in the market, Goonhilly is proud to provide the critical communications capacity needed to support this new era of space exploration. Our international expansion reinforces our dedication to meeting the growing demands of the space industry and underscores our role as pioneers in space commercialisation. We are excited to be at the forefront of driving the future of space communications and enabling the success of these transformative missions.” — Matt Cosby, CTO, Goonhilly Earth Station