Universal Space Network, Inc. (USN), a leading provider of commercial space operations and ground station services, announced today that it is dramatically expanding its network of satellite ground stations in Hawaii and Australia in response to USN’s record backlog and growing customer demand for low-latitude ground station services. In addition to added capacity, each of the new full-motion antennas will provide a new capability for USN’s customers-an X-band uplink service-and USN is one of the first in the industry to provide this service to its customers.
The new 13-meter S- and X-band system currently being installed will double the capacity of the USN Hawaii ground station. This will be the second 13-meter S- and X-band system for the USN Hawaii facility and will provide increased redundancy for USN’s customers during critical operations. The new system will be available for operations in June of 2008. In addition, USN’s Western Australia ground station will receive a new 7.3-meter X-band system that will complement the existing 13-meter system already in place. This new antenna will be available for operations in October 2007. Both the Hawaii and Australia systems can be used by USN’s commercial and government customers and will be remotely operated from the company’s network management centers in California and Pennsylvania.
“We are very pleased to be adding two new full-motion, multi-mission tracking antennas to our network. This additional low-latitude capacity results in even better overall network performance and more availability for mission-critical services for our customers,” said Steve Montgomery, USN’s Director of Customer Operations.
“USN’s Hawaii and Australia ground stations are important strategic locations for commercial launches as well as civil space exploration programs and US military satellites. USN continues to lead the charge in developing multi-use stations to the benefit of both our government and commercial customers,” said Joe Rothenberg, USN President and Chief Customer Service Officer. “We are very excited about our latest expansion and look forward to continued growth in commercial ground network operations.”
About Universal Space Network
Universal Space Network, Inc. (USN) is a leader in space operations for telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) services. Offering responsive, reliable and cost-effective solutions to the global government and commercial space community, USN provides unparalleled coverage through a seamless network of worldwide satellite tracking and communications assets. These assets include both those owned by USN and those of our collaborative partners. The company has offices in Newport Beach, CA., and Horsham, PA. For more information, please visit http://www.uspacenetwork.com.
