Technicians with L3 Datron out of Simi Valley, Calif., stand by to attach the Alaska Satellite Facility's new 11-meter antenna to its base on UAF's West Ridge. The antenna will gather data from spacecraft about land surface, biosphere, atmosphere, oceans and outer space. It's one of several strategically placed antennas that can capture data from polar-orbiting satellites several times per day. 

This new antenna, named “AS3,” is slated to be fully operational by December 2013, and will downlink and uplink data from and to a host of satellites. 

The antenna and its installation on West Ridge cost about $7 million and was funded by NASA. 

The Alaska Satellite Facility hosts the only university-owned ground station that supports downlink, uplink and tracking services for the NASA Near Earth Network. The facility has been operational for more than 20 years and is housed in the UAF Geophysical Institute.  

More information about ASF is available at http://www.asf.alaska.edu.

PHOTO CAPTION/CREDIT: Technicians work on the installation of "AS3" on West Ridge of the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus in August 2013. UAF photo by T. Paris.