Swedish Space Corporation SSC (Swedish Space Corporation) received additional contracts from the European Space Agency (THIS) to support the Copernicus programme, which is the EU's main initiative in the field of Earth observation. The new agreements provide for the expansion of the network of ground stations, in particular in the USA, Canada and Chile (Punta Arenas station).
The role of Copernicus in observing the Earth
Copernicus is a key program for monitoring climate change, crisis management and security. The program provides open and free access to satellite data, which helps governments, scientific institutions, private companies and ordinary users to receive information about:
- Climate change and ecology
- Energy supply, agriculture and forestry
- Health care, security and urban planning
Copernicus satellites recently helped fight wildfires in Los Angeles, providing important atmospheric data for local fire services.
Expansion of the network of SSC ground stations
SSC cooperates with the Copernicus program with 2020 year. New contracts provide:
- Connecting the Punta Arenas station to the network of Copernicus ground stations.
- Expanding support for Copernicus satellites through US ground stations, Canada and Sweden.
According to Nicholas Pryborski, of President SSC Division Connect, cooperation with ESA is expanding and has the potential for further growth.
Support for key Sentinel missions
SSC will provide support for several Sentinel series satellites, which are part of the Copernicus program:
- Sentinel-1C - commissioning phase support from Inuvik station.
- Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1C - support from Inuvik until November 2026 year.
- Sentinel-2C - Commissioning phase support from Inuvik and Punta Arenas stations.
- Sentinel-2B and Sentinel-2C – supporting routine operations from Punta Arenas.
Also SSC continues to support, which started back in 2020 year, including:
- S-band TT&C support for Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-5P from the Esrange stations, Inuvik та North Pole Satellite Station (Alaska).
- X-band data reception for Sentinel-2 from the station