The Fairbanks Command and Data Acquisition Station (CDAS), along with the Wallops CDAS, acquires, maintains, and distributes a continuous flow of environmental satellite data, and executes spacecraft commands, 24/7. While the Wallops CDAS focuses primarily on geostationary satellites, the Fairbanks CDAS is NOAA’s primary satellite ground station for downloading data from and sending commands to polar-orbiting satellites. Additionally, the station acts as a backup for the Wallops CDAS located on Wallops Island, Virginia. The Fairbanks station also supports the Deep Space Climate Observatory, a satellite in deep space used to track conditions on Earth and monitor the particles streaming from the Sun.
The Fairbanks station has nine antennas in active use and is one of the busiest and most capable satellite ground stations in the world. The station has a 99.99% capture success rate for 2022.
The Fairbanks CDAS is located on 7,200 acres (29 square kilometers) of federal land.
As of 2022, the Fairbanks station supports 17 satellites that are part of 10 satellite missions. Most are U.S. missions, though the station also frequently supports foreign missions through partnerships, often with the National Weather Service.The station uses the Space-Ground Link Subsystem to support U.S. Air Force weather satellite operations and has multiple connections to high-bandwidth fiber networks.
Some federal employees and many contracted staff operate the Fairbanks CDAS 24/7. In the event of an electrical outage, the station could operate for three weeks using generators that draw on 60,000 gallons of stored fuel.
Since 1962, the station has been supporting NASA and NOAA missions, including the first U.S. weather satellites, the Television Infrared Observation Satellites (TIROS), and the early Landsat missions.
The Fairbanks CDAS is also a long-term contributor to geodesy, the branch of math dealing with the shape and area of Earth. Its 26-meter very long baseline interferometry antenna once helped establish important properties of Earth in support of navigation and earth science. Currently, the station hosts a global navigation satellite system reference station for NASA’s global geodetic network that contributes to NOAA’s Continuously Operating Reference Station system, which helps surveyors and those operating with a need for precision navigation, such as airlines.
Fairbanks
| Antenna | Receive Bands | Gain/Temp (dB/K) | Transmit Bands | Latitude (N) | Longitude (E) | Elevation (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 METER | VHF/L/S | 27dBi/24/28 | None | 64° 58' 36.176" | 12° 28' 56.803" | 316.1 |
| 13 METER 1/A | L/S/X | 20/24/38 | L/S | 64° 58' 26.400" | 212° 29' 24.396" | 378.4 |
| 13 METER 2/B | L/S/X | 19/24/37 | L/S | 64° 58' 25.716" | 212° 29' 39.300" | 396.7 |
| 13 METER 3/C | L/S/X | 20/23/36 | L/S | 64° 58' 24.492" | 212° 29' 53.412" | 415.7 |
| 21 METER | L/S | 31/33 | S | 64° 58' 21.9" | 212° 29' 56.04" | 447.3 |
| 5 METER MALIBU | S/X | 16/28 | S | 64° 58 23.834" | 212° 28' 59.067" | 352.4 |
| 5 Meter LEO-T | S/X | 17 | S | 64° 58' 24.96" | 29' 2.17" 347.5 | 347.5 |
| MEOLUT 1 | 406 MHz | n/a | None | 64° 58' 25.590" | 212° 28' 58.220" | 444.1 |
| MEOLUT 2 | 406 MHz | n/a | None | 64° 58' 25.180" | 212° 28' 56.070" | 444.7 |
| 4.06 METER KA | Ka | 28 | None | 64° 58' 23.200" | 212° 29' 38.200" | 384.9 |
Barrow (Utqiaġvik)
| Antenna | Receive Bands | Gain/Temp (dB/K) | Transmit Bands | Latitude (N) | Longitude (E) | Elevation (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BARROW 5 METER | S | 17 | S | 71° 19' 25.0" | 203° 23' 20.85" | 14.8 |
| BARROW 2.4 METER | L/X | 7/24 | None | 71° 19' 24.0" | 203° 23' 22.0" | 4.8 |
Antennas
