Constell'Actions March 2024

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Constell'Actions n°8

March 2024

SUMMARY

KINÉIS CONSTELL’ACTIONS

Kinéis Constell'Actions is the monthly newsletter devoted to progress on the design and deployment of the Kinéis connectivity system for the Internet of Things (IoT). In the spirit of a mini travel diary, Constell'Actions takes you on a journey around the world this month. While the 25 nanosatellites in the constellation are being industrialised in Toulouse, the Kinéis system is being rolled out with the deployment of 3 new ground stations (GRS). With just a few months to go before the first launch from New Zealand, all our teams are hard at work. Constell'Actions takes you behind the scenes of this adventure. Welcome on board and enjoy your reading!

GROUND STATIONS, AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF KINEIS CONNECTIVITY PERFORMANCE

The 20 GRS (Ground Remote Stations) are an essential component in the performance of Kinéis connectivity for the Internet of Things. They enable satellite data to be downlinked and commands to be sent to the satellites. The more ground stations deployed with optimised geographical positions, the more data received by the satellite is made available to the user in near real time. GRS is deployed by Kinéis.

KINEIS DEPLOYS ITS 13TH GROUND STATION IN THE HEART OF THE AUSTRALIAN DESERT

The Kinéis team in Alice Springs ©Kinéis2024

The first Kinéis GRS of 2024 has been installed in Alice Springs, Australia. The island-continent is 14 times the size of France and has 3 time zones. Alice Springs is a town located in the desert part of the Red Centre, in the Aboriginal Northern Territory, halfway between the cities of Darwin and Adelaide, each 1,500 kilometres away. The site survey carried out in April 2022 confirmed the choice of Charles-Darwin University to host this Kineis ground station. It consists of 2 parabolic antennas and 3 UHF (Ultra High Frequency) antennas, 2 of which are for transmitting and 1 for receiving messages.

The Australian GRS took 7 days to install in one of the hottest and most hostile regions in the world. Once deployed, functional tests confirmed the operability of this new ground station.

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EASTER ISLAND, THIRD IN THE PACIFIC TO HOST A KINEIS GROUND STATION

kinéis grs ile de paques constell'actions

Moaï in Easter island ©Kinéis2024

Polynesians call it the "navel of the world". On the mythical island of Rapa Nui, one of the most isolated in the Pacific Ocean, 3800 kilometres from the Chilean coast, our teams have installed the 14th ground station in the Kinéis system. This new GRS comprises 2 parabolic antennas with their radomes and 2 UHF antennas. It took 2 weeks to install. On-site tests confirmed that the antennas were working properly. The French company EnviroEarth carried out the site survey in June 2023. The giant Moai of Rapa Nui now watch over our antennas. Easter Island GRS is the third to be deployed in the Pacific Ocean, after French Polynesia and New Caledonia. The vastness of this ocean (181 million km2, i.e. 1/3 of the surface of the globe) requires a certain number of ground stations to provide the best possible coverage of this "blue continent".

kinéis ils de paques constell'actions grs

The technical team in front of the radomes of the Kinéis satellite dishes ©Kinéis2024

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IN MEXICO, KINEIS INSTALLS THE 5TH GROUND STATION ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT

Fitting the radome of one of the two Kinéis satellite dishes ©Kinéis2024

Continuing the deployment of ground stations westwards, Mexico is the latest country to welcome the Kinéis teams, more specifically Lower Southern California, that stretch of land along the Pacific coast. EnviroEarth carried out the site survey in February 2022 and validated the choice of the North-West Biological Investigation Centre (CIBNOR), in La Paz, for a new Kinesis ground station. This GRS comprises 2 dishes with radomes and 2 UHF antennae, which were placed on the roof of a building. The 9-day installation period ended with successful functional tests.
The La Paz ground station is the 5th GRS to be deployed across the Americas. There are 2 in Canada (Inuvik and Toronto) and 2 in South America (French Guiana and Chile).

Next step: Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean

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