The placing of a receiving station for satellite data at an island near the North Pole involves certain challenges related to communication of these data to the users elsewhere in the world. There is no terrestrial infrastructure connecting Svalbard to the Norwegian mainland or any other destination, an in addition particular technical solutions are required to enable communication via geo-stationary satellites from a position as far North as 78 degrees
Communication
Kiruna and Svalbard – A safety alternative for data transference
The locations of the ESA ground stations have been arranged in such a manner on the Earth’s surface that data reception as well as commanding of the spacecraft can be guaranteed to be constant or with minimal interruption.