Polar Epsilon
The Department of National Defence’s Polar Epsilon satellite ground stations are located on both coasts – in Masstown, Nova Scotia, and Aldergrove, British Columbia. These systems highlight the near-instant capabilities of the RADARSAT-2 operation. When data is collected by MDA’s satellite on illegal dark vessels or areas of interest around the world for military commanders, it’s transmitted to these stations for processing and analysis.
Room to grow
As we introduce more satellites and applications for radar imaging, our system of ground stations will grow as well. MDA is currently building the next generation Polar Epsilon 2 ground systems that will receive data and imagery from the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, the trio of satellites built by MDA for the Canadian Space Agency.
Info
- 243,772 km – The length of Canada’s three coastlines that require monitoring on a daily basis
- 1,000 nautical miles – The distance from Canadian shores that Polar Epsilon can conduct surveillance
- 3,000 km – The radius within which each ground station provides near-real time satellite imagery