Lockheed Martin has a well-established footprint in the Australian space community, with the formation of a Tracking, Telemetry and Control ground station at Uralla, New South Wales, over 25 years ago.
Our Uralla facility is a critical component of a global network of earth station facilities used to support commercial satellites through launch and transfer orbit into the satellites’ intended final location in geostationary orbit.
The Uralla facility is also essential to providing communications during a satellite’s initial in-orbit testing, which is a necessary technical and contractual step prior to the owner/operator seeking to use the satellite to provide services for which it is intended.
With a ready local workforce capable of supporting operations on a 24-hour basis, Lockheed Martin Australia’s facility at Uralla is equipped with two 14 metre full motion antennas that operate in DBS, Ku and C band. A third, limited motion 4 metre antenna provides additional Ku band capability. In addition, the site hosts two 11 metre antennas as part of the uplink processing centre for SouthPAN, as well as Lockheed Martin Australia’s FireOPAL Space Domain Awareness sensors.
The Uralla facility has land available to host additional antennas and features an existing full motion antenna pedestal which is available for use. With excellent horizon visibility in all directions the Uralla site is able to readily host LEO, MEO and GEO services. Some site benefits include:
- Ample power availability that includes new 150kW solar array.
- Ready access to spectrum licensing.
- Large 15.25 Ha (37 acre) site with a 4.26 Ha (10.5 acre) compound.
- 24/7 workforce and operation.
- Two diverse fibre paths to site.
- Close proximity to Armidale Airport and CBD.
