By: Sean McClinton
Most new low earth orbit (LEO) spacecraft and constellations require a global ground network in order to deliver on the full promise of their data from space. Using only a single, company-owned ground station can pose a few risks, including having a single point of failure, limited downlink capacity, and high revisit latency (the time it takes for the spacecraft to come back into view of the ground station after completing a pass). Many of those same LEO small satellite operators have come to the conclusion that in order to bring larger amounts of data down to Earth, increase resiliency, and reduce revisit latency, a global ground station network is necessary. There are many hidden challenges to creating a truly global ground station network that may not be immediately obvious to a spacecraft operator. Technical, legal, regulatory, and unique country requirements for ground stations can arise at any time during the planning, rollout, and operation of those ground stations.
Many US-based satellite operators are already familiar with some of the requirements of the FCC and the ITU when it comes to getting a spacecraft licensed, but what about import requirements and timelines when setting up and installing a ground station in a foreign country? Each decision when deploying a ground station – from permitting, to laying conduit, to pouring the pad, to finding reliable data connectivity can have a number of challenges associated with it, often hidden or unexpected. In addition to the complexity of navigating the local challenges are added time pressures to ensure the ground station is fully operational by the time the spacecraft is ready for launch. Ensuring that the install timeline is conservative and fits the overall mission timeline is critical for overall mission success. Having existing relationships with in-country partners can significantly expedite a timeline and reduce friction, allowing a tight deadline to be met. While each country is different in terms of regulations, importing, and permitting, so too is each spacecraft operator. For example, a government agency may have very high information security requirements while commercial customers may have high, but less stringent requirements for their early test and demonstration spacecraft. When identifying a site, many factors such as physical security, data security, local RF interference, sight lines from natural and man-made obstacles, and weather conditions (i.e. very cold, very hot, very wet, or very dry, wind) all come into play for the suitability of a location for a ground station.
RBC Signals ground network now consists of more than 80 unique antennas in over 50 locations around the world, and counting. Because of the unique nature of spacecraft, missions, and constellations, it’s important to have flexibility and the ability to add additional capacity to meet the needs of the end customer. We not only regularly add new partner antennas to our existing capacity, we also contract with customers to install, manage, and maintain ground stations around the world. We manage the process end-to-end, allowing the spacecraft operator to focus on their core competencies, differentiators, and success. Having been through the process of procuring, installing, and managing global ground stations for many years, we have learned to “see around the corner” for potential issues while managing for customer expectation and timelines.
While many spacecraft operators have gotten to where they are with a combination of strong technical expertise, persistence, and scrappiness, it’s important to prioritize where to focus those valuable skills in service of the customer. If your customer values having a large amount of data being delivered with low latency, do you really want to be distracted by talking to someone in a remote location, navigating local customs, and trying to understand that country’s unique and sometimes confusing import requirements? Why not lean on a trusted ground station partner, allowing you focus on what’s most important to you – your customer.