Upgrading the future: TT&C antenna modernisation with NPC SYSTEM.
Space Norway is dedicated to maintaining the health and precision of its THOR satellite fleet. To ensure the longevity and robust performance of its Tracking Telemetry and Command (TT&C) antennas, Space Norway has partnered with NPC SYSTEM for a comprehensive upgrade.
Ensuring longevity of TT&C antennas
As the leading European satellite operator, one of the key aspects of Space Norway’s work is the control and operation of their THOR fleet of satellites, this includes maintaining satellite health, tracking their positions and altering their precise location as needed. To this end, Space Norway operates six antennas whose primary role is maintaining command uplinks and telemetry downlinks between the satellites and the company’s Satellite Control Centre in Oslo.
These Tracking Telemetry and Command (TT&C) antennas have recently undergone an upgrade to ensure they remain operational over the coming years. With four antennas located at Space Norway’s Nittedal ground station and a further two providing redundancy from the Eik Teleport in the Southwest of Norway, this project has taken a number of years to complete.
Choosing NPC SYSTEM for robust solutions
Explains Ole Martin Grønli, Senior Project Manager, Satcom at Space Norway, “Back in 2019 we started reaching out to suppliers of tracking systems that could provide a product that would be sufficiently robust for our quite challenging requirements. Having spoken to a number of possible companies, we decided to opt for NPC SYSTEM as they not only offered a complete range of products and custom solutions that would fit our needs, but also were able to handle the installation, working closely with our own engineers.”
The product chosen by Space Norway is the NEYRPIC 5100 tracking system. Since Space Norway operates five monopulse antennas (which update position continually rather than the more widely used step-track antennas which update every 10-20-minutes), the demands the company places on its tracking system are higher and require a tighter tracking specification.
Successful collaboration and future prospects
The first NPC SYSTEM installation at Space Norway was completed in May 2021 when the previous antenna control units on the six antennas were replaced with the NPC SYSTEM ACU550. Despite some initial teething problems, the Space Norway team decided that NPC SYSTEM would be the best choice for its overall upgrade of the entire fleet of TT&C antennas which began in 2022. This proved to be a good choice as the project was driven smoothly through to completion.
Space Norway’s Chief Operations Engineer, Peter Elliott, adds, “I think it’s fair to say that the engineering teams both learned from each other – we were able to communicate directly with key people in their team as they finessed the product design in response to some random behaviours which occurred during testing.”
‘’We were deeply honoured by Space Norway’s decision to choose us for this upgrade program. We collaborated closely to establish an efficient and constructive framework for communication between our teams throughout the project. The quality of these exchanges, along with the outstanding performance results of the installed monopulse tracking systems, stands as a testament to the success of this partnership.”
Tomorrow-ready with NPC SYSTEM
The successful upgrade of Space Norway’s Tracking Telemetry and Command (TT&C) antennas with NPC SYSTEM’s NEYRPIC 5100 tracking system marks a significant milestone for the company. The collaboration between Space Norway and NPC SYSTEM has proven to be highly effective, ensuring the robust performance required for the THOR fleet’s precise tracking needs.
This project not only highlights Space Norway’s commitment to maintaining and advancing its satellite operations but also underscores the importance of strategic partnerships in achieving technological excellence. Space Norway is well-positioned to continue delivering reliable satellite services, supported by its state-of-the-art TT&C infrastructure.
