ExoMars Schiaparelli Direct‐to‐Earth Observation using GMRT

During the ExoMars Schiaparelli separation event on 16 October 2016 and Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) events 3 days later, the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) near Pune, India, was used to directly observe UHF transmissions from the Schiaparelli lander as they arrive at Earth. The Doppler shift of the carrier frequency was measured and used as a diagnostic to identify key events during EDL. This signal detection at GMRT was the only real‐time aliveness indicator to European Space Agency mission operations during the critical EDL stage of the mission. Plain Language Summary When planetary missions, such as landers on the surface of Mars, undergo critical and risky events, communications to ground controllers is very important as close to real time as possible. The Schiaparelli spacecraft attempted landing in 2016 was supported in an innovative way. A large radio telescope on Earth was able to eavesdrop on information being sent from the lander to other spacecraft in orbit around Mars. This provided real‐time (after accounting for one‐way light time) basic information to mission controllers. Key Point During ExoMars Landing, GMRT observed UHF transmissions and Doppler shift used to identify key events as only real‐time aliveness indicator