ECIL’s antenna system for Antarctica

Hyderabad, Sept. 16: 

An ECIL fabricated antenna system will be installed in India’s base station on the icy continent of Antarctica.

The first consignment of the antenna bound for Bharti Station in Antarctica was flagged off on Friday.

The installation will be carried out by engineers from the public sector Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL), here during the ensuing summer season in Antarctica which falls between December 2012 and March 2013.

According to a press release from the Hyderabad-based ECIL, the antenna will have to perform under extreme conditions. D.S. Jain, Deputy Director, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), and Maj Gen. (Retd.) Sanjeev Loomba, acting Chairman and Managing Director of ECIL, flagged off the consignment.

ECIL won this prestigious project from the Indian Space Research Organisation for establishing ground stations for Earth Observation Satellites and Communication facility at Bharti Station, Antarctica against global competition, a company release said.

The project links Bharti Station to NRSC, Shadnagar. The link will also will provide a two-way communication service between Antarctica and NCAOR (National Centre for Antarctica and Ocean Research) Goa which is the nodal agency for the coordination and implementation of Indian Antarctica Support programme.

In 2007, ECIL established the communication link between Maitri Station in Antarctica and NCAOR for providing communication link between the station and mainland India.