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KSAT will support new broadband mission in the Arctic

KSAT, Kongsberg Satellite Services, is selected by Space Norway to provide ground station services to the new Highly Elliptical Satellites (HEO) designed to provide satellite-based broadband in the Arctic. KSAT will as part of the agreement establish a Satellite Operation Centre for satellite operation and control. The latter together with Space Norway. 

Two satellites will be launched late 2022 to a HEO orbit providing continuous coverage above 65 degrees, equivalent to the total area North of the Arctic circle.

“We are looking forward to support this new and important mission, and I’m very pleased that KSAT, with our well-established network of strategically located ground stations in the North, will contribute to improved communication in the Arctic” says Rolf Skatteboe, President/ CEO of KSAT.

The two satellites have an expected lifetime of at least 15 years and Space Norway, owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and its subsidiary, Space Norway HEOSAT, will in partnership with Inmarsat and KSAT offer a cost-effective solution.

“The HEO program opens for new activities in a new market segment and with new partners like Inmarsat, a world leading satellite operator and provider of broadband, this is something we’re looking very much forward to explore” Skatteboe concludes.

Prior to launch KSAT will build 4 new antennas and extend to a new location to provide ground station services to the HEO mission. The Satellite Operation Centre will be established at KSAT headquarters in Tromsø, Norway.

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) is a world leading provider of communication services for spacecraft and launch vehicles from their uniquely located global ground network. The KSAT owned and operated network consists of more than 180 remotely controlled antennas at 21 sites worldwide, (including Pole to Pole coverage from Antarctica to the Arctic), optimized for delivery of Ground Stations as-a-service. 

KSAT supports more than 150 missions, including high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical satellites, providing near real-time operational monitoring services to a wide range of customers. This includes public and commercial users who have urgent, time-sensitive, operational requirements, as well as satellite owners and operators. KSAT has more than 200 employees, and their mission is to be the world’s leading commercial satellite center, giving access to satellites anytime, anywhere. 

KSAT is 50% owned by Space Norway, a state-owned enterprise of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and 50% by Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, part of the Kongsberg Group. Follow us on Twitter: @KSAT_Kongsberg

Space Norway HEOSAT AS is a Norwegian company co-located with its mother company Space Norway in Oslo, Norway.

Space Norway is a company owned 100% by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. Its goal is to develop and implements space related infrastructure for Norwegian official demands.