Swedish Space Corporation to develop the most advanced ground network for Lunar missions
As humankind is returning to the Moon, the global demand for lunar missions is expanding at a rapid pace. To meet the industry’s new and ambitious requirements for lunar communications capabilities, Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) expands its worldwide network of Lunar Exploration Ground Sites (LEGS) by adding two new locations in Australia and Chile. Together with French satellite tracking equipment manufacturer Safran Data Systems, the company is set to offer the world’s first global ground network which meets the new standards for lunar exploration.
“With our long experience from lunar missions and a legacy that dates all the way back to the Apollo missions, SSC is well equipped for future missions to the Moon. SSC has been selected to provide advanced ground station support by 4 of the 5 Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) primes which have won missions to the Moon, and these ambitious missions require advanced ground station capabilities,” says Nicholas Priborsky, SSC President of Satellite Management Services. He continues:
“For example, NASA has set a number of new requirements for ground station support for missions such as the Artemis program. For SSC, it is only natural to continue expanding our stations accordingly, as the first commercial company to offer such capabilities for lunar exploration missions”.
As part of this deployment, SSC has teamed up with French satellite tracking equipment manufacturer Safran Data Systems, who will deliver a set of large high-power antenna systems to upgrade the company’s ground stations in Chile and Australia. The systems are based on Safran’s patented concentric feed, an ultra-accurate “designed for Ka-band” (26 GHz) pedestal and the famous Cortex modem series. These systems will enter operation next year.
“It is a great honor to be awarded the contract for the deployment of SSC’s LEGS network. Safran and SSC have been working as partners for decades. Over the recent years, we have developed a full portfolio of satellite tracking antennas, from small to very large, addressing all market segments including lunar applications,” says Jean-Marie Bétermier, Safran Electronics & Defense Space Director and President of Safran Data Systems.
Contact: Philip Ohlsson, Head of Communications SSC, +46 (0)70 721 70 26, philip.ohlsson@sscspace.com
About SSC: Swedish Space Corporation, SSC, helps space organizations, companies, other commercial actors and research institutes to get access to space. SSC's products and services enable successful space projects within Earth observation, telecommunications, security, meteorology, navigation and positioning, scientific research and other applications. Through our local presence on all continents and more than 600 committed employees, we offer specialist expertise in satellite communications, spacecraft operations, rocket and balloon systems, launch services, flight test services and data analytics. Among our strongest assets are Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, set to become first to launch satellites from continental Europe in 2023, as well as one of the world's largest commercial ground station networks. Via our subsidiary GlobalTrust, we also leverage satellite data and analytics applications to help companies, organizations and governments to develop and deliver sustainability strategies. www.sscspace.com
