Inuvik Satellite Station Facility in Inuvik, Canada. Photo: SSC

[Via Satellite 01-29-2015] 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 increasing customer demand for communication with polar-orbiting satellites, normally used for Earth observation and atmospheric monitoring, is driving the expansion.

Inuvik’s location in Canada’s Northwest Territories allows the company to frequently track satellites in polar orbits and receive real-time data from them. The Inuvik site works in combination with SSC’s station at Esrange in northern Sweden to provide coverage in the northern hemisphere. Both stations are also important nodes in SSC’s global network of ground stations, PrioraNet.

The new 13-meter antenna will be fully operational in late 2015. Like SSC’s existing antenna at Inuvik, it will support multiple frequency bands, including S and X band.

“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 Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Greg Rickford.