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The satellite ground station

 

In November 2011, the Copernicus Astronomical Center satellite ground station had begun to operate. It is intended for communication with scientific satellites built by a team of Polish scientists from the BRITE-PL team. The goal of BRITE project is to build and launch six Low Earth Orbit satellites intended to observe the variability of the brightness of stars, which in turn will contribute to a better understanding of their internal structure. Two of these satellites are built nearby, at the Space Research Centre. Ground station is using VHF, UHF and S-Band for satellite communication. To achieve this, two masts with rotating antenna systems are mounted on the roof of the Astronomical Center building. Although start of the first BRITE satellite is scheduled for November,  the station operators can be proud of the first successes, which include operation of the first Polish student satellite PW-Sat or assistance in communication with the experimental stratospheric balloons performing altitude of over 30km above the ground. The station is equipped with modern radio and computer equipment to track and communicate with most of the satellites, which operate in areas of amateur radio frequencies.

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