Located in Lethbridge Alberta, Canada, Iunctus Geomatics Corporation has been operating and maintaining an earth observation satellite receiving station since July 2004. Presently, the station receives data from the SPOT constellation of satellites but has the capability of receiving data from any X band earth observation satellite. With an ever growing library of SPOT satellite imagery dating back to 1986, Iunctus Geomatics Corporation is quickly becoming a leader in the receiving, production, and archiving of data from three satellites at our station.
The station is situated on the campus of the University of Lethbridge (Lat.: N 49° 40’ 52,317”, Long.: W 112° 52’ 24,420”, Elev.: 915m) and is designed to acquire and receive data from scientific or observation low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Its specifications include the following:
A 4.5 meter Gregorian revolution offset antenna that avoids the need of a tracking chain.
A signal to noise ratio of 29.53 dB/K at 5°
A very high accuracy hexapod pedestal that offers full hemispheric coverage without singular points or azimuth limitations, and with high pointing accuracy
The tracking speed of the hexapod is 3° per second in any direction with a maximum tracking speed of 10°/s² in any direction
A fully digital, synthesized, high rate demodulator (HDR) that can acquire any signal strength in the complete X frequency bandwidth (8025 - 8400 MHz)
A digital antenna control unit (ACU) combined with a GPS receiver for accurate time synchronization
Two universal power supplies (UPS) capable of providing power to the antenna for approximately 24 hours in the advent of a power failure
A radome that is 8.23 meters in diameter that protects the antenna from the elements of weather and is capable of withstanding winds up to 240 km/h
A robust base that supports the antenna as well as houses the antenna drive unit (ADU), the RF rack, and the UPS systems
Our Earth Observation Satellite Receiving Station can receive data up to 2 degrees from its location. This allows us coverage of approximately 90% of North America and, with up to 12 orbital passes of the SPOT satellites per day, acquisitions of areas of interest are greatly enhanced!