Secret Mission at the Top of the World
Two film sets, a dog yard, and nearly 200 crew members were involved in capturing action scenes on the top of Platåberget, above Longyearbyen - surrounded by endless rows of antennas and exposed to extreme Arctic weather.
“What an absolutely remarkable place to be able to film" said Tom Cruise about shooting in Svalbard, in the official movie material.
All elements of the set were built temporarily and have since been dismantled, with the area on the plateau carefully restored to its original condition. While the storyline of the film is not specifically set to Svalbard, our station - and its wild weather - are very much real on screen.
– We’re incredibly excited to see what the film crew has done with our station in Mission Impossible. It’s so much fun that it was chosen as a spectacular location, and we’re proud that all 550 of our employees managed to keep the secret for two years, says Nina Soleng, Head of Communications at KSAT.
A Workplace Like No Other
Now part of Hollywood history, the station is already well-known in the space industry as the world’s largest and northernmost commercial ground station, capable of connecting with satellites 14 times out of 14 daily passes. That unique location allows KSAT to deliver fast and more frequent data retrieval.
Established in 1997 with a single NASA antenna, the site now hosts nearly 200 antennas and stands as one of KSAT’s largest and fastest-growing sites among 29 global locations.
At 78° North, the sun disappears below the horizon for four months each winter, and the station endures winds and temperatures as low as -40°C.
– It’s a tough environment up on the mountain, and sometimes weather conditions force us to close the road. But we’re thrilled that Tom Cruise made it up there and got a tour and presentation of our work in Svalbard. That’s something we’re especially proud of, adds Soleng.
Mission: Possible / From Ground Station to the Silver Screen
Everyone at KSAT is eagerly awaiting the station’s appearance on the big screen. Our employees on Svalbard got the chance to see it first, with the special, pre-premiere screening on the 19th of May. The main office in Tromsø, with near 400 employees, booked a whole cinema auditorium for a private screening during the premiere week. Our US office in Denver will also have a private screening.
Images: Paramount Pictures