Building The Quintillion High Latitude Data Acquisition Ground Station in Utqiaġvik
In 2021, Quintillion officially launched its High Latitude Data Acquisition (HiLDA) ground station. Located in Utqiaġvik at 72 degrees latitude, 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle. We built the ground station as a US-based downlinking solution for polar-orbiting satellite operators. It has a 3.7-meter S/X band antenna that is available for occasional use and…
Quintillion’s Dedication to Data Security: Keeping Critical Infrastructure Safe
At Quintillion, protecting our equipment and data is a priority. We handle critical infrastructure, such as subsea fiber optic cables that provide internet to thousands of Alaskans, as well as a satellite downlinking facility that harbors potentially sensitive data. Service interruptions, whether due to natural causes or malicious parties, can result in serious outcomes that…
Quintillion’s HiLDA Ground Station: Why We Decided To Go “Up”
For many, outer space symbolizes the ultimate frontier. It is a place that sparks curiosity, adventure, and opportunity. In the past, this interstellar realm may have primarily served as a landscape for fantasy, but our relationship with space has changed. While outer space still holds much of its mystique, space-based technology and communication tools have…
Satellite Data Processing: Benefits of Leveraging a Colocation Data Center
Humans gather a vast amount of data from space. Commercial satellite imaging companies are collecting over 100TB of satellite data per day, which equates to tens of millions of images. And there isn’t any likelihood of these numbers slowing down any time soon. Organizations across the world, from real estate firms to large government agencies,…
Remote Sensing and Earth Observation: The Role of Satellites in National Security
From protecting the homeland to fighting wars abroad, the U.S military relies on technology in space to be competitive, as well as to safeguard the United States from potential threats. American adversaries, Russia and China, aren’t slowing down in the race to push the limits of space technology. Just in the last year, we’ve already…
Ground Station as a Service: The Future of the Space Tech Industry
Space is a frontier for human exploration and opportunity. From stepping foot on the moon to launching satellites into orbit, humans continue to push the limits of how we can better understand space and utilize it to advance life on Earth. We’ve come leaps and bounds from 1958 when the first satellite was launched into…
How Satellite Data From Space Helps Solve Problems on Earth
From the Department of Defense to national research institutes, organizations across the United States rely on data from space to make critical decisions about life on Earth. Through remote sensing, satellites capture data and images of the globe from above. This information makes its way back to the Earth through the process of downlinking it to…
Why Alaska’s Education System Needs Better and Improved Broadband Access in the Digital Age
While digital equity is a topic that touches essentially every aspect of modern society, the impacts of the digital divide are most profound in the area of education. The education of younger generations has a direct impact on future growth — empowering students to develop their talents, creating more employment opportunities, and improving the economy…
Barriers to Broadband Access for Rural Alaska Communities
Poor broadband access has always been a challenge for rural Alaska communities. As more businesses and organizations are offering services online, communities without reliable and affordable internet services are at a steep disadvantage. This topic has received a lot of coverage as of late, but these communities need active support — and they need it…
The Growth of Telemedicine: Why Every Alaskan Needs Access to Reliable Broadband
Americans across the country rely on a secure internet connection to work and provide for their families, further their education, keep up with current news, and shop for products online. And for some people, having access to reliable broadband can quite literally be a matter of life and death. One of the greatest advantages that…