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Western Australia’s new Satellite Ground Station is now operational, Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds has revealed, building on the government’s commitment to strengthening sovereign capability.
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The new Satellite Ground Station near Geraldton, WA — delivered under Joint Project 2008 Phase 3F in partnership with BAE Systems Australia — is now operational after achieving final operating capability,
The infrastructure, which forms part of the Defence Satellite Communications Program, can now provide anchoring capability to Wideband Global Satellite-Communications satellites primarily located over the Indian Ocean.
The satellite network includes two military hosted payloads on commercial satellites, a military satellite as part of the US Wideband Global Satellite-Communications system, ground infrastructure across Australia and deployed terminals with accompanying network management capabilities.
According to Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds, the new station in WA, which is the first of three Defence satellite ground station projects to be completed, will advance the government’s work to strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability.
“The Defence Satellite Communications Program is providing the Australian Defence Force with a suite of strategic and tactical satellite communication capabilities,” Minister Reynolds said.
“Satellite Ground Station – West will provide Defence with greater access to the overall capacity available from Wideband Global Satellite-Communications satellites.
“This offers real-time operational and logistical information which is essential for command and control of deployed forces.”
[Related: For Global Operations, the ADF Needs An Adaptable Satellite Communications Network]
