Recently a co-operation agreement was signed between the Swedish Space Corporation, SSC, and China Satellite Launch and Tracking Control General, CLTC. The purpose of the agreement is a mutual ground station support programme where each of the organizations can purchase services from the other party's resources.
CLTC manages China's launch facilities and it tracks and controls all China's domestic satellites through a control centre and a TT&C network, which consists of ground stations located all over China and one ground station in the South Tarawa Island of the Republic of Kiribati. CLTC also manages mobile stations and ships for TT&C.
SSC's activities cover the entire range of space-related work from feasibility studies to operational applications of space technology. SSC's division for Satellite Operations provides support to operators of various types of satellites. SSC owns and operates control centres and ground stations in Sweden, and it owns 50% of Tromsoe Satellite Station in Norway. In an alliance with a US partner, Universal Space Network, SSC operates a global network of ground stations, PrioraNet.
The new agreement enables CLTC to benefit from the services of SSC and its partner stations within the PrioraNet and SSC can take advantage of the Chinese ground stations for its own purpose or for customers.
Mr Shang Xuekun, vice chairman of CLTC, says: " The SSC network of ground stations will form an excellent complement to the Chinese stations. We expect the first Swedish support in late 2001."
Mr Claes-G¿ran Borg, president and CEO of SSC, says: "Long standing co-operation agreements with the big international actors in satellite operations are of greatest importance. In addition we are looking forward to the marketing of the capacity of the Chinese stations."
