SvalSat, based on Platåberget near Longyearbyen, was installed in 1996/97 as a base station to receive data from satellites in polar orbits. The combination of good infrastructure of near-by Longyearbyen and the position close to the pole make SvalSat unique and an important link in the chain of global satellite systems. Currently, there are 16 minor and larger antennas standing on Platåberget, but the number is to be enlarged soon. Major demand is expected when the European satellite-based navigation system “Galileo” will be established in a few years, providing an alternative to the US military-controlled GPS.
The Norwegian Antarctic station Troll will serve a similar purpose in the southern hemisphere.
Antennas of SvalSat on Platåberg near Longyearbyen (photo: Michelle van Dijk).
By the way, my new book is in print and it can now be ordered 🙂 it is a photo book with the title “Norwegens arktischer Norden (3): Die Bäreninsel und Jan Mayen”, with German text Click here for further details!
This and other publishing products of the Spitsbergen publishing house in the Spitsbergen-Shop.
Norwegens arktischer Norden (1): Spitzbergen
Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German. [shop url="https://shop.spitzbergen.de/en/polar-books/70-norwegens-arktischer-norden-1-aerial-arctic-9783937903262.html"] ← Back
Lofoten, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen from the air - Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German, but there is very little text, so I am sure that you will enjoy it regardless which languages you read (or not).
The companion book for the Svalbardhytter poster. The poster visualises the diversity of Spitsbergen‘s huts and their stories in a range of Arctic landscapes. The book tells the stories of the huts in three languages.
Comprehensive guidebook about Spitsbergen. Background (wildlife, plants, geology, history etc.), practical information including travelling seasons, how to travel, description of settlements, routes and regions.
Join an exciting journey with dog, skis and tent through the wintery wastes of East Greenland! We were five guys and a dog when we started in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost one of two settlements on Greenland’s east coast.
12 postcards which come in a beautifully designed tray. Beautiful images from South Georgia across Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea and up to Macquarie Island and Campbell Island.