Isle of Man, 1st February 2016 – As part of a continued drive to improve the integrity of satellite services the Space Data Association (SDA) today announced the launch of a new geolocation support service for its members.
Geolocation is an important process used to identify the geographical origin of transmissions to a satellite. It requires specialised measurement equipment located around the globe managed and operated by skilled engineers.
The new service proposed by the SDA offers a support matrix between satellite operators whereby they will share resources and expertise to locate sources of interference. Members who are subject to interference on any of their satellites can now count on a system and a process to engage support from other SDA members and request help in performing a geolocation.
Interference continues to cause problems for satellite operators and can be disruptive to customer services. When it occurs, and in the absence of Carrier-ID for the interfering carrier, geolocation is an important tool that enables quick and efficient resolution. Once located, satellite operators can then take the necessary steps to resolve the interference.
“The SDA is actively pursuing its policy of information exchange and cooperation in order to ensure quality of service for the satellite communications community,” commented Mark Rawlins, Chairman of the Space Data Association. “In offering this service, we will be able to help our members resolve interference issues quickly and efficiently. Interference is an industry issue. A problem affecting one member today may affect another tomorrow!”
The new service is currently available free of charge to all SDA members.
For further information about the SDA or to join, please visit http://www.space-data.org.
About the SDA
The Space Data Association Limited (SDA) is a non-profit international association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment and the RF spectrum. It maintains the Space Data Center, a database of high-accuracy orbital information, which is operated by Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) of Exton, PA. Established in the Isle of Man the SDA is open to all satellite operators and other participants. Its membership comprises many of the world’s major satellite communications companies Membership information can be found at www.space-data.org.
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