Pacific Dataport Acquires New Kratos Ground Station for Aurora Project
Pacific Dataport (PDI) is moving the Aurora Project forward with the acquisition of a new earth station antenna and ground station from Kratos Defense & Security Solution. The new antenna is a 9-meter dish, which will be constructed at LBiSat’s new gateway facility in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Kratos is a world leader in products and solutions for satellite ground systems, including the design and building of GEO HTS (High Throughput Satellite) network ground stations. The new ground station will communicate with the Aurora 4A GEO HTS satellite currently being built by Astranis in San Francisco, California. The Aurora 4A GEO HTS satellite will triple the satellite bandwidth of Alaska and is expected to begin service in Summer 2021.
Chuck Schumann, Pacific Dataport CEO, said “PDI continues to move the Aurora Project forward with this milestone completed. Alaska will soon have the additional broadband infrastructure it needs and even the most remote locations will be offered fast, reliable broadband. Alaska’s rural schools, health clinics and government agencies will also benefit greatly from reduced middle mile costs and more immediate broadband deployment. The Aurora Project will far exceed any current terrestrial options.”
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December 2024
Mike Smith, SVP of Sales for Kratos’ Space team, commented, “PDI’s Aurora Project is an exciting program that will bring communications to a great number of under-served Alaskans, and we’re proud to be part of that effort. In addition to the state-of-the-art 9-meter antenna, we will supply related systems solutions and ground segment expertise to help PDI deliver their new service to market quickly and reliably.”
John Gedmark, Astranis CEO, said, “This satellite system is truly best-in-class, and purpose-built for the needs of Alaskans. We believe that everyone deserves to be connected to the internet, and that Alaskans deserve an internet solution built for Alaska. Getting this Gateway underway is an important step on the path to getting up this new capacity for the entire state of Alaska.”
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In This Issue
Healthcare Special Section + Corporate Citizenship
December 2024
December is the Alaska Business wellness issue, looking at what it takes to support healthy lives and healthy communities. In addition to several healthcare and corporate citizenship articles, this issue also highlights two unique Alaska industries: oil and gas and marijuana, both of which reached ten-year milestones in 2024 and are propping up—in their own way—Alaskans and their communities. Enjoy!