Tracking Satellites in McMurdo at NASA’s Near Earth Network Ground Station

Tracking Satellites in McMurdo at NASA’s Near Earth Network Ground Station

https://youtu.be/Jn5FpYmz1Ck

One of the more interesting facilities at McMurdo station is NASA’s NEar Earth Network Ground Station. The facility is comprised of a server and management office in McMurdo proper, as well as a large satellite dish, covered with a radome, on the edge of Arrival Heights, just outside of town. From NASA:

NASANENStations

October 3, 2014 – Formerly known as the Ground Network, the Near Earth Network (NEN) provides telemetry, commanding, ground-based tracking, data and communications services to a wide range of customers. The NEN provides these services to customers with satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), geosynchronous orbit (GEO) highly elliptical orbit, Lunar orbit and missions with multiple frequency bands.

Customers are both national and international, government and commercial entities, NASA (Earth Science, Space Science, and Human Explorations missions) and non-NASA.

The Near Earth Network utilizes both NASA-owned and commercial stations around the world to ensure proper service to customers.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD Maryland manages the operations of the Near Earth Network.

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