Iridium Satellite announces plans to open a new telemetry, tracking and command/control (TTAC) earth station in Norway. The TTAC opening is part of a continuous improvement plan to enhance Iridium's industry-leading constellation reliability and global mobile satellite communications service quality.
Expected to open in the third quarter of 2007, the Iridium TTAC facility will be located in Svalbard, Norway under an agreement with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT). KSAT, the owner and operator of the KSA Svalbard Satellite station (SvalSat), the world's largest ground station dedicated to supporting polar orbiting satellites, will provide operations and maintenance support for the site.
Initially, it will include two Iridium dedicated tracking command transmission and data reception antennas. Iridium expects to add up to three additional antennas at a later date.
"The new TTAC site in Norway is the latest step in our ongoing program of ensuring peak performance for our fully meshed network of cross-linked satellites at all times," said Matt Desch, chairman and CEO, Iridium Satellite. "This will enable us to continue our unmatched record of dependable worldwide connectivity."
"We are pleased to host Iridium's TTAC facilities at our Svalbard site," said Rolf Skatteboe, president of KSAT. "This is a very good demonstration of how other satellite operators can take advantage of our Svalbard ground station services."
The new TTAC earth station will augment visibility and access to Iridium's satellite constellation. It also will add to Iridium's command and control capabilities, and provide remote access to the satellites from Iridium's existing gateways.
