Changes in the ESA Malargue Station | European Space Agency

Pic of ESA Malargue Station

History of Malargue Station

1. Construction of this station started in the year 2009 & it is located at  35° 46' 33.63" S (35.776°S), 69° 23' 53.51" W (69.398°W) at 1550 m above sea level.
2. It comprises of Ka - band reception (31.8-32.3 GHz) & X - band transmission and reception. It was prepared to host Ka - band transmission at (34.3-34.7 GHz) & K band reception at (25.5-27 GHz).
3. It is used to receive telemetry (process of recording and transmitting readings), send telecommands & perform radiometric measurements on scientific & deep spacecrafts.
4. Dish of this station is 35 m in diameter & entire structure is 40 m high. The moving antennas weigh around 610 tonnes & are capable of moving at 1 degree per second in all axes.
5. Antenna's radio frequency system comprises of :-

• Cassegrain beam wave guide operating with frequency sensitive (dichroic) mirrors.
• Helium cooled X & Ka - band low noise amplifiers.
• 20 Kw X - band transmission. 

Why upgrade was done?

1. To get ESTRACK network support for future missions like Euclid ( expected launch in 2022) & to transfer data at higher rates.
2. To receive broadband signals at 26 GHz & X - band frequency.

Highlights of the upgrade

1. The core of the Malargue Ground Station antenna optical system is the beam wave guide. This is a set of mirrors that redirect the signal from the spacecraft to the antenna feeding system.
2. The central mirror in the set plays a key role in the upgrade. By rotating the mirror in the center, you can redirect the signal to different receivers with different frequencies.
3. When the central mirror is rotated to the deep space position, operators will be able to simultaneously use X - band and Ka - band waves, the kind of signal sent by deep space missions like BepiColombo. A newly developed multi band feed system will enable simultaneous X - band and K - band communications.
4. There is a placeholder position for exclusive communication at X - band using the new 80 kW high power amplifier. The 80 kW amplifier is currently being developed and is expected to be deployed to ESTRACK by 2024.
5. In addition, a new generation of low maintenance cryogenic amplifiers for improved performance have been installed, has the latest portable satellite simulator which will be compatible with Euclid’s high data rates.

Challenges 

The mirrors must be very precisely aligned, with a maximum of 3.5 millidegrees of angular tolerance. To achieve this precision, photogrammetry was used.

ESTRACK antennas also support a very wide range of flying missions, with a high operational load. To minimize the impact on operations, the complete refurbishment had to be completed in only five weeks.

Peace☮