The Satellite Communications Station (SCS) Vladimir

The Vladimir Satellite Communications Station (SCS) operates as a ground facility for satellite communications services. It is located in the Vladimir region.

The Vladimir SCS facilities and its geographical location enables arranging communication channels via satellites in the positions from 20° West to 103° East, carrying out acceptance tests of newly commissioned spacecraft and monitoring payloads of RSCC’s satellites.

The Vladimir SCS spacecraft ground control facility provide monitoring, telemetry control and measurement of orbit parameters of satellites of the Express-AM series using its command and measurement station.

History

The Azimut-M space communication station was put in operation by the Order of the USSR Minister of Communications in 1971. The principal tasks of the facility were provision of broadcasting of the TV program of the Central television in the “Orbita” system and main telephone channels for the Far East, as well as arrangement of telephone channels with Cuba.

In 1976, the Vladimir SCS deployed technical facilities to work via a new Ekran direct broadcasting satellite. They were used to transmit the television program to the network of receiving stations in remote locations in Siberia and the Far North. In 1980, the Vladimir SCS communication equipment was used for TV broadcasting of the Moscow Summer Olympic Games to the countries of the Indian region.

In 1995, the Vladimir SCS deployed “Kashtan” command and measurement complex to provide control, exchange of telemetry and command information with spacecraft of Express-A, Express-AM, Sesat series. In 1999, a satellite earth station of Rostelecom OJSC, operating via the LMI-1 communications satellite (75° East), was installed to function as a central station of the company's network.

As part of RSCC’s participation in the Federal Target Program “Development of Television and Radio Broadcasting in the Russian Federation for 2009-2018”, the technical facilities of Vladimir SCS were used to arrange broadcasting of all-Russian programs to the Far East and Siberia.

Through 2009 to 2015, the Vladimir SCS infrastructure was upgraded, including technical facilities of communication, water, heat and power supply systems. This allowed to increase significantly the performance reliability and optimize the operating costs.