Ground stations at KSAT’s Svalbard location. Photo: KSAT

[Via Satellite 04-01-2016] Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) has signed an expanded and extended agreement for ground station support for the European meteorological organization EUMETSAT. The organization is installing three new antenna systems at KSAT’s Svalbard facility, which KSAT will maintain. The antennas are for the MetOp Second Generation satellites, a continuation of the existing operational weather satellite systems KSAT also supports.

KSAT is beginning these services this year. According to the company, Svalbard is particularly well suited for the Ka-band systems due to the dry Arctic atmosphere. The agreement covers maintenance and site operation for as many as five antenna systems total.