What is the role of the X-band transmitters on the Mars orbiters in the communication chain?

Answer

They are used by the orbiter to send the large volume of stored data across interplanetary space to Earth.

The X-band transmitters are specifically installed on the orbital assets—the relay spacecraft circling Mars—to bridge the massive distance between Mars and Earth. After an orbiter receives lower-power data packets from a rover via UHF, it stores them temporarily. The orbiter then utilizes its significantly more powerful X-band transmitters to beam that large volume of accumulated data across the interplanetary void back to the receiving stations of the Deep Space Network on Earth. This capability contrasts with the rover's own direct-to-Earth HGA, which is power-prohibitive for routine large data returns.

What is the role of the X-band transmitters on the Mars orbiters in the communication chain?

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