Launch of SpaceX orbital carrier rocket Falcon 1 from Omelek Island. Photo: U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA)

[Via Satellite 06-22-2015] The U.S. Ronald Reagan Missile Defense Test Site has installed ViaLite Communications’ ViaLite RF over fiber to link its command center with remote antennas. The antennas are located on the uninhabited islands of Illiginni and Gagan within the Kwajalein Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean and are used to monitor the last minute before splash-down.

Prior to the installation, testing, switching frequencies or changing antenna direction required an engineer to fly out by helicopter. These tasks can now be performed remotely from the command center using the links installed by MIT Lincoln laboratory.

Of the 97 islands that comprise the Kwajalein Atoll, 11 form part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS). RTS performs ballistic missile and missile-interceptor testing and space operations support. One of the ground stations used to control the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system is also located in Kwajalein.

ViaLite Communications’ ViaLite wideband RF over fiber links cover all required frequencies, minimizing the equipment needed at the remote sites. The system uses Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) to carry 14 signals on a single fiber, and when required, engineers can analyze raw signals by attaching a spectrum analyzer to the test ports of each ViaLite rack module.