Special Projects: Ground Stations
Figure 1: SFL’s Mission Control Center, Toronto, Canada
The Space Flight Laboratory operates a Mission Control Center (MCC) that is connected to S-band and UHF ground stations located at UTIAS. The MCC is also networked to stations around the world. Each mission uses its own dedicated ground station or network of ground stations. SFL is able to operate ground stations remotely from its MCC. Ground station software provides priority scheduling at each location, and seamless transitions from one satellite to the next. Operations are typically automated to the greatest extent possible after satellite commissioning, resulting in low operational cost for each mission. SFL has extensive experience in setting up ground stations in various countries when local control or geographical location is paramount. The table below gives examples of stations that were installed or retrofitted with SFL ground station hardware and software.
| Location | Ground Station Description |
|---|---|
| Svalbard, Norway | UHF station, S-band upgrades, software, mission control center in Oslo. Remote operation possible from SFL. Used for AISSat-1, will be used for AISSat-2, AISSat-3. |
| Andoya, Norway | UHF uplink retrofit, software, SFL remote operation. Used for NTS. |
| Tromso, Norway | S-band downlink retrofit, software, SFL remote operation. Used for NTS. |
| Mount Stromlo, Australia | UHF and S-band specifications, software, mentoring, commissioning of ground stations. Used with CanX-2 (trials). Intended for Antarctic Broadband demo satellite. |
| DRDC-Ottawa, Canada | S-band downlink retrofit, software, SFL remote operation. Used for CanX-2, NTS. |
| Graz, Austria | UHF and S-band specifications, hardware procurement support, software, commissioning support, SFL remote access. Used for BRITE Constellation satellites. |
| Vienna, Austria | UHF and S-band specifications, hardware procurement support, software, commissioning support, SFL remote access. Used for MOST and BRITE Constellation satellites. |
| Warsaw, Poland | UHF and S-band specifications, hardware procurement support, software, commissioning support, SFL remote access. Used for BRITE Constellation satellites. |
| UBC, Canada | S-band specifications, hardware procurement support, software, commissioning support, SFL remote access. Used for MOST. |
Figure 2a) S-band antenna tower, Toronto
Figure 2b) Technical University Vienna
Figure 2c) Graz University of Technology, Austria