The Mangalyaan Mars orbiter mission will be entering a blackout phase for 15 days between June 8 to June 22, which means the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) won’t be able to communicate with it during the aforementioned period. The same will hold true for space agencies like NASA and ESA that also have active Mars exploration programs currently.
Back in March 2015, ISRO had indeed spoken about the coming blackout phase in June. Radio communications with Mangalyaan will be interrupted due to the Mars solar conjunction expected to occur this month. It happens every 26 months when the Sun is between Earth and the red planet, and all three bodies are in a straight line.
To avoid sending commands that could be misinterpreted due to the disruption in communications, ISRO will not be in touch with Mangalyaan between June 8 and June 22. Similar limitations will be placed by other nations across the globe over their Mars missions too. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory followed the same plan a couple of years ago during the solar conjunction.
NASA will refrain from deploying commands to its three Mars orbiters and two Mars rovers from June 7 to June 21. The spacecraft will keep making certain science observations but will not perform any driving or arm movements. Mangalyaan (also called MOM for Mars Orbiter Mission) will be swept into autonomous mode during the blackout phase of 15 days, something it has been programmed to do.
Communications with the spacecraft will be kept to a minimum in the days leading up to the solar conjunction, and for a short time period after the celestial event draws to a close. ISRO engineered Mangalyaan’s launch into the orbit of Mars in September 24 last year. Its expedition was extended by 6 months back in March 2015.