The Swedish Space
Corporation (SSC) is increasing its capacity at the
Inuvik Satellite Station Facility in Inuvik, Canada,
with the addition of a new multi-mission antenna.
The expansion is driven by increasing customer
demand for communication with polar-orbiting
satellites, normally used for Earth observation and
atmospheric monitoring.
Inuvik’s strategic location
in the Northwest Territories is ideal for frequent
tracking of satellites in polar orbits and for
receiving real-time data from them. When used in
combination with SSC’s station at Esrange in
northern Sweden, the Inuvik Satellite Station
Facility provides unmatched coverage in the northern
hemisphere. Both stations are also important nodes
in SSC’s global network of ground stations,
PrioraNet.
“With increased capacity at
Inuvik, we will not only be able to maintain the
high level of services for our current customers”,
said Leif Österbo, President of SSC’s Satellite
Management Services Division, “but we will also be
able to offer our services to new customers while
still ensuring back-up capacity is readily available
whenever it is needed”.
”The Inuvik Satellite
Station Facility, the most northern major Canadian
facility to receive Earth observation data, boosts
Canada’s ability to monitor our Arctic region while
supporting economic development in the North,” said
the Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of
Natural Resources. “Our Government is expanding the
facility’s capacity to provide real-time information
on Canada’s landmass and the world, and we are
pleased to see the new antenna being installed by
the Swedish Space Corporation.”
The new 13-metre antenna
will be fully operational in late 2015. Like SSC’s
existing antenna at Inuvik, it will support multiple
frequency bands, including S-band and X-band.
