How Africa Can Capitalise on the Growing Ground Station-as-a-Service Market

Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) is an established global provider of advanced space services with over 50 years of industry experience. Their core offerings encompass science and launch services, satellite ground station services, and spacecraft operations and engineering. With a global presence, SSC serves diverse clients in the space sector. SSC supports various aspects of space missions, from ground operations to in-orbit activities.

Space in Africa interviewed Ravit Sachasiri, Business Development Director for Asia, Pacific, and Africa at SSC Connect, a Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) division focused on ground station services. The goal was to gain insight into how National space agencies can better understand the industry’s need for ground station-as-a-service offerings.

Give us an introduction to SSC Connect and how it works.

SSC Connect is a leading global provider of Ground Station services. SSC Connect provides services with its global network of ground stations, including additional stations owned and operated by partners. When servicing a specific customer and their mission, we use multiple stations. Sometimes, we combine ours with partner stations like the Hartebeesthoek (HBK) station in South Africa. The company flexibly employs various stations based on customer requirements. It can also obtain services from stations not featured on their ground station maps. Stations displayed on their ground station map generally indicate long-term agreements for streamlined access and don’t include those arranged for specific missions.

What does the collaboration cover? 

Through the SSC Connect network, we operate our ground stations globally, primarily in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America, with its site selection based on utilisation and coverage needs. We collaborate with partner station providers to complement our reach, often through long-term agreements and individual setups for specific missions. These partner stations are presented on the SSC ground station map and can be configured for SSC’s customers and missions. For unique customer requirements, SSC Connect may also seek out and use regional operators’ assets on a case-by-case basis, even if these are not part of their standard network.

What services do you expect from ground stations in Africa?

SSC sees ground stations as a service in Africa as potential partners for the company. We always look for potential additional stations based on our clients’ requests or if a customer’s solution requires stations to be in a specific geographical location.

Here are some of the criteria for a preferred ground station:

• The location of ground stations
  This is quite relevant, especially when considering the different orbits of the satellites and where over the Earth the satellites will be passing. Most of the satellites we serve today are sun-synchronous and polar-orbiting satellites. These satellites orbit the Earth at a very high inclination, allowing them to pass over the poles. The most effective stations are located near the North and South Poles or at the highest possible latitudes. SSC operates its main ground station at Esrange Space Center, near the town of Kiruna in Sweden at 68’ Latitude. It is normally supplemented by our stations over Alaska and North Canada to cover the Northern Polar region, while our station in Punta Arenas in Chile offers the closest proximity to the South Pole. These are the two preferred locations for the polar-orbiting satellites and are usually the preferred sites for SSC’s customers. Of course, there are other satellites with diverse kinds of orbits which these stations may not cover. Thus, depending on the specific mission and geographical requirements, we may need to complement them with other stations in locations that are more specific to the satellite mission. For instance, we look for satellites closer to the equator to support satellites in equatorial orbits. Africa could be an interesting location for such sites.
• The size of the antenna
  The size of the antenna determines how much gain is possible. If we add the aspect of electronics, it also determines the Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP)of the antenna, meaning the capability of the signal uplink, as well as the Gain to Noise Temperature (G/T), which determines the capability to receive the signal of the antenna. The higher the antenna’s EIRP and G/T, the more capable it is and can support a more extensive variety of missions. For example, if the request is such that any antenna of 3 meters and above is sufficient, we can check any antenna providers with such inventory.
• Antenna Type
  SSC Connect ground stations support customers who operate Earth observation (EO) satellites or spacecraft that are not geostationary. Therefore, these antennas have to be able to follow and track the satellite across the sky. Many antennas are designed for geostationary satellites, where they are fixed or can only rotate slowly. These antennas are not compliant with the usual requirements of SSC’s customers. 
• Frequency and licensing
  The frequency bands that the antenna supports play a significant role in providing ground station services to customers. Today, our ground stations usually support uplink and downlink in the S, X, and Ka bands. SSC also constantly looks to upgrade its stations and add new capabilities to its portfolio. Getting an RF license to receive and transmit in that location for the frequency that SSC needs is also a vital criterion.

What challenges have you faced while collaborating with African ground stations that you hope could be addressed to facilitate more partnerships?

• Station availability and specification
  SSC currently lacks enough information about African ground station owners, where their assets are located, what capabilities they have, and what frequencies they support. Gaining more information about each partner’s capabilities would allow SSC to move forward quickly upon a customer’s request.
• Access to suitable assets
  It is also important to understand the availability of these stations. Also, can SSC utilise their antennas at our request? For example, SSC often looks to SANSA because they have many antennas supporting all frequencies and ease of getting an RF license. 
• Technical capabilities
  SSC must know whether the local operator can support other satellite operators regarding engineering and operational capacity. This includes configuring their systems and providing network and internet services. 
• Radio Frequency Licensing
  It is also vital to know how difficult it is to apply for an RF license in a certain country. SSC will need to know which authority oversees this process, how long it takes, and how much it costs.

What factors determine the pricing of your ground station-as-a-service (GSaaS) offering?

Pricing for ground station services involves numerous factors, with the mission’s complexity, antenna size requirements, priority, and volume of usage being a primary consideration. Our leading network features antennas ranging from 7 to 13 metres, with some larger partner stations boasting 16 and 32 metres.

SSC typically charge GSaaS on a per-pass basis. Normally, a pass at the Esrange Space Center satellite station for a sun-synchronous satellite can last 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the orbit and altitude. 

Priority is a crucial factor in pricing. High-stake missions like rocket launches demand top priority and come at a higher cost. In contrast, the cost would be considerably lower if it were just a routine data downlink pass, and the satellite operator could accept lower priority and the possibility of pass cancellation.

When pricing a service, SSC starts by gathering customer requirements and designing the solution. This includes details about their satellite, desired antenna size with EIRP and G/T needed, other technical specifications, preferred locations, and daily passes. SSC then develops a proposal that is tailor-made and optimised to the customer and missions, considering their requirements and budget. SSC ensures that there is a solution for everyone. 

What trends do you foresee in the ground station service segment right now? 

We expect the number of satellites to increase substantially. Some studies indicate an increase from today’s 8,000 functional satellites in orbit to 75,000 within 20 years. Thus, SSC anticipates increasing demand for ground stations as a service. Additionally, there is a trend towards satellites with more data, which means these satellites will need higher speed downlink and uplink capabilities. Thus, SSC is upgrading its stations to support higher frequency bands, such as Ka-band.

Besides, SSC is developing optical ground stations or laser communication stations. We have developed one of these stations in Australia and another in Chile. Laser communication requires clear skies, so locations with minimal cloud cover are essential. With its potential for clear skies, some African regions could be suitable locations for such stations. Additionally, SSC will introduce the EU mainland’s first satellite launch at Esrange Space Center in 2025 to support this growing need for new satellites.

What are some of SSC’s future projects in the ground segment area?

SSC is working on several fronts in anticipation of the requirements of future missions. We are working to bring higher throughput RF antennas and optical ground stations online today. We are also working on a Space Situational Awareness Services (SSAS) solution for space sustainability and object-tracking objects in space. SSC has installed an optical observatory in Australia to track space objects and constantly update the database. This data would be useful for spacecraft operators to understand the space environment near their spacecraft and the associated risks. SSC will be offering these services commercially as part of our future services.

Overview of SSC

Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) helps Earth benefit from Space. Since the 70s, SSC has helped space organisations, companies, other commercial actors, and research institutes gain access to space. Through our local presence on all continents and close to 700 committed employees, we offer specialist expertise in satellite ground station connectivity, spacecraft operations, and rocket systems. We also provide launch services, flight test services, and data analytics. Among our strongest assets is the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, set to begin launching satellites from Sweden in 2025, as well as our global ground station network for satellite communications. SSC Connect: www.sscspace.com