CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand,
Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Nearly 21 years after its launch, a Lockheed Martin
(NYSE: LMT)-built satellite within the Defense Satellite
Communications System (DSCS) recently turned its attention to
a new mission—supporting the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s
Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole, where communicating with
the rest of the world has always been a challenge.
Amundsen-Scott Station's location
at 90 degrees south, right at the South Pole, makes communications
with the remote science station difficult. Even for orbiting
satellites, the extreme geographic latitude makes maintaining
continuous communication links impossible for a station that up to
100 researchers call home. With few other options, periodic
connections are still better than none, but the time to upload and
download valuable research data and other communications is
invaluable.
In June, the U.S. Air Force's DSCS III B7 satellite took over
the role of providing communication and data links between
Amundsen-Scott and the U.S. Antarctic Program facility in
Christchurch, New Zealand, which
serves as the station's link to the rest of the world. Replacing
the NSF's decommissioning GOES-3 satellite, DSCS III B7 provides
the station with Internet access for 3.5 hours a day at speeds of
up to 30 megabits per second (MBPS), an upgrade from about 1.5 MBPS
they had under GOES.
DSCS III B7 has already begun relaying health and welfare data
links to and from the remote facility. In June, the satellite
played a key role in relaying telemedicine data leading up to the
medical evacuation of two NSF employees in need of additional
medical care.
"The DSCS constellation has been a legacy workhorse for the
U.S. military's super-high frequency communications," said
Chris Ayres, director of Operations,
Sustainment and Logistics at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. "Now
operating past twice its design life, it is gratifying to see DSCS
III B7 still delivering value, providing significant return on
investment by furthering scientific research and providing
potentially life-saving communications with a location that is
otherwise unreachable."
Originally built by Lockheed Martin and launched on July 31, 1995 with a ten year-design life, DSCS
III B7 builds on the constellation's reputation for providing
extended service life. Six on-orbit DSCS III satellites remain
operational with more than 259 years of combined service life,
already providing nearly 120 extra years of mission life.
Lockheed Martin sustains the DSCS constellation, as well as the
Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system and Milstar blocks
I and II, under the Air Force's Combined Orbital Operations
Logistics Sustainment (COOLS) program.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
98,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research,
design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of
advanced technology systems, products and services.
Media Contact:
Lauren Fair, +1 301-204-7334;
lauren.fair@lmco.com
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151019/278077LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/long-serving-dscs-satellite-takes-over-role-of-linking-antarctic-researchers-to-the-world-300342452.html
SOURCE Lockheed Martin