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Connecting the Uncharted: Space Norway’s Arctic Satellite Mission Takes Off

Space Norway’s Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) was successfully launched on Sunday August 11 (10:02 p.m. EDT). The satellites carrying several payloads will provide continuous broadband coverage to aircraft, ships, research vessels, fishing vessels, cruise ships, expeditions and troops operating in the Arctic by using a Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO).

The satellites will run in a TAP (Three Apogee Period) orbit with the highest orbital altitude (apogee) of 43500 km and the lowest orbital altitude of 8100 km (perigee). The satellites will run in the same orbital plane with a 63-degree inclination and 8 hours separation. Each orbit takes 16 hours, and by employing two satellites, we provide full coverage throughout the Arctic north of 65 ° N (see animation). In addition, the satellites are active for about 10 hours in each orbit. This gives the satellites up to 2 hours of overlap where both satellites are operational while covering the entire area north of 65 degrees.

A lot more technical details are available here.

ASBM employs two satellites designed to operate in a highly elliptical orbit to reach the Arctic coverage area. The satellites include multiple payloads including military payloads for the U.S. and Norwegian Armed Forces, as well as a commercial payload for Viasat, and a radiation monitor for the European Commission. This marks the first time an operational DoD payload (EPS-R) will be hosted on an international space vehicle.

The European Commission is a customer for data acquisition of the Norwegian Radiation Monitor (NORM) payloads that will collect space radiation data along its orbit path, at altitudes ranging between 8,000 km and 43,000 km, benefiting to future development of several components of the EU Space Programme, like Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, SST, and IRIS². As these components of the EU Space programme rely on space systems that are sensitive to space radiation, regular monitoring of radiation levels is crucial to ensure the reliability and longevity of satellites in space and analyse potential disruptions of services.

Space radiation data is also useful to the scientific community. By analysing the radiation data collected by the instrument, scientists and researchers can contribute to an increase of the knowledge of space weather and of its effects on Earth's environment. 

As global interest in Arctic resources and climate research grows, initiatives like ASBM will play a critical role in supporting sustainable exploration and securing reliable communication channels in this vital region.

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