NEWS

To extend the service life of the U.S. military’s current Arctic communications system, the Space Force will deploy a pair of communications payloads on Norwegian satellites in early 2023.

The Arctic region is notoriously difficult for communications systems. “Communications satellites operating in geostationary Earth orbit do not cover the area of the Arctic,” according to the European Space Agency. “Even when a link can be made, it can be prone to interruption from icing on antennas, or from disruption caused by heavy seas.”

In 2019, the U.S. military established 24/7 protected communications for warfighters in the polar region when the Enhanced Polar System, or EPS, was declared fully operational. Hosted on satellites in highly elliptical orbit, the two EPS payloads provide around-the-clock military communications at latitudes of 65 degrees north and above.

Read full article.