Rethinking the EO Ground Segment
The world is waking up to benefits of Earth Observation (EO). It provides business and mission-critical insights across defence, government and commercial applications, increasing demand for ground station capacity to support more satellites, more passes and burgeoning volumes of data. This poses challenges and opportunities for ground segment development, as solution providers try to balance the demand for increased ground station capacity to meet data demands whilst maximising ground station utilisation, all with an eye on costs.
By Craig Bowley, Chief Commercial Officer, Global Invacom
The EO industry is forecast to continue its explosive growth over the coming five years. Grand View Research estimates that EO revenues will rise from USD 5.6billion in 2026 to USD 7.2billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 6.2%. Satellite imagery and remote sensing technology, and the insights they provide across governments, research institutions, and a rapidly expanding range of businesses, are driving satellite development, manufacturing, and launch services. In addition to government applications, today EO delivers crucial insights into disaster management, marine resources and maritime tracking, agriculture, forestry, water resource management, urban monitoring and planning.
A steep reduction in launch costs and the evolution of ‘New Space’ engineering and manufacturing practices have lowered the economic and technical hurdles to space and fostered development of innovative new satellites and constellations. The exponential growth in data volume generated by EO satellites is further driven by expanding areas of coverage and increased frequency of data from certain locations. This has challenged the ground segment to establish geographically diverse ground station locations with consolidation of Ground Station as a Service (GSaaS) among providers who can provide cost-effective, geographically diverse ground networks. As the frequency and quantity of data grows, new ground stations are needed at existing teleports, as well as for greenfield sites to expand geographical coverage.
While the demand for new types of data, with increased detail and frequency, drives satellite and constellation development and with impressive technological advances in resolution, spectrum, and operation capabilities, a different set of requirements is driving ground segment development.
The question is, how can providers of ground stations best meet the demands of the EO sector?
Avoid Over-Engineering
A combination of satellite transmit regulatory limits and adaptation of common interfaces and protocols has effectively enveloped the transmit and receive needs for most EO satellites. As a result, ground station requirements have coalesced around a ‘standard’ 3.7m-class tracking antenna, with larger apertures for specialised and ISR applications.
The leading-edge advances on the satellite side can inspire ground engineers to similarly push the envelope toward lighter, more finely balanced antennas, or to design for an edge in spec-sheet advantages that provide no real operational benefit. The focus on New Space can detract from established and proven engineering that underpins established and reliable ground segment. Saving grams and milliwatts counts for a lot in space but may ultimately be costly on the ground.
Reliability is Key
For operators and service providers, every pass counts. A missed pass not only means revenue loss and replanning a ground asset but may also mean missing a crucial observation. Losing multiple passes impacts perception, reputation, and end-customer relationship. It’s no surprise that GSaaS providers and operators value reliability and availability above all else.
A ground station that can operate reliably, for years on end and deliver the same consistent results will always win out over complexity or unnecessary features. A focus on robust design for operation in a wide variety of environmental conditions, ease of installation and commissioning, lower direct and indirect lifecycle costs yet with extremely high reliability and the availability of low-cost spares when needed, drive ground station choice.
Turnkey Systems
The ground segment embraces long-standing practices, an arcane lexicon and takes pride in the ability to offer a range of options and configurations. For the end user, the ground antenna is simply necessary, yet for the service provider it is THE essential business tool.
Time to install and integrate a terminal is a direct cost but also lost revenue opportunity. The ideal solution for the customer is a complete, pre-tested terminal, easily installed in a variety of situations (pad, frame, rooftop) and ready to interface with their network and tools. A system delivered as a plug and play network node, with common-sense tools and user interfaces, will always be favoured over a system with highly bespoke tools, no matter how ‘cool’ they may be.
Scalability and Dependability
Providing a proven, complete and cost-effective terminal is a key consideration, but it needs to be scalable and dependable. Large capex expeditures are also viewed through the ‘just-in-time’ lens, and operators benefit from schedules they can trust. Providers with volume capabilities and in-house supply of key components have an advantage over less integrated companies with dispersed suppliers.
Additionally, there is substantial cross-over between commercial EO and government ISR, with shared facilities and antenna assets. Consequently, there is a key advantage for ground segment with supply chain and parts controls, manufactured in a trusted location, with product security concerns thoroughly addressed.
Make It Easy
Flexible installation choices and fast deployment enable EO operators to accelerate nework expansion and revenue growth. Terminals can be designed to simplify installation on pads, platforms and rooftops. Some sites may require groundworks, that can be delayed by local regulation, weather, or delivery of key elements; this drives demand for transportable, containerised terminals. This approach helps keep network growth on schedule, and the container can be redeployed for future growth opportunities or used for service augmentation and restoration.
Optimise for Today, but Design for the Future
While providing a complete, standardised terminal offers a host of advantages - including cost, schedule, and network expansion, the EO community continues to innovate and seek partners that can accommodate new requirements and developments. This is also evident in terminals tasked for special ISR requirements and a key consideration as digitisation on the RF and terminal level is implemented.
Consequently, a robust and modular design that will accommodate new units and interfaces, offers new options and schedule advantages. Flexibility, coupled with high reliability, ease of operation, low operating costs and a dependable partner, allows EO service providers to focus on maximising their business potential, growing their coverage and services, and focusing on delivering for their end customers.
