Starting today, the country’s low-cost Mars mission that is in a rendezvous with Mars for an extended period will enter the “blackout” phase snapping communication with the satellite. This phenomenon is a result of what is known as Mars-solar conjunction.
Is only Mangalyaan affected?
No, other Mars Missions of NASA also will not beam any new data to the Earth as the Red Planet goes behind the Sun and the spacecraft and rovers take their biennial rest. Communication with five NASA rovers/orbiters – Opportunity, Curiosity, Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and Maven spacecraft will also be affected because of Mars-solar conjunction.
How will it affect Mars Orbiter Mission?
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) during this period will go into an “autonomous mode” and will take its decisions. The scientists will again regain control over the spacecraft after it comes out of the Martian shadow.
What is Mars-solar conjunction?
The positioning of the Sun between the Earth and Mars is called Mars-solar conjunction. Mangalyaan’s blackout will occur because the earth, the sun and Mars will align themselves in one line from June 8 to June 22 this year. This celestial geometry, that happens about every 26 months, will lead to diminished communications with spacecraft on or around Mars.
Why can’t we send/receive signals?
Because the Sun disrupts radio transmissions between the Earth and Mars during conjunction and the communications are curtailed.
It’s impossible to predict what information might be lost due to interference from charged particles from the Sun, and that lost information could potentially endanger the spacecraft. Instead, prior to solar conjunction, engineers send two weeks’ worth of instructions and wait.
