40 years of direct Moscow - Washington government communication line via SCC Dubna
A congratulatory certificate on behalf of the personnel and management team of the Fort-Detriсk Station was handed to the director of the Dubna SCC Alexander Duka. The Fort Detrick Station management thanks the Dubna SCC for the productive cooperation, successful maintenance of vital communication channels for many years, as well as high level of quality and reliability of the communication provided.
Historical background:
A satellite-supported hot line of government communication between the USSR and the United States was originally put into operation in 1978. As part of this project, the Space Communications Center (today Russian Satellite Communication Company) built two earth stations on the territory of the USSR. One station with a 12m diameter antenna was commissioned in the town of Gus-Khrustalny near Moscow to support the link based on the Soviet Molniya-3satellites; the second station, boasting a 25m antenna, was located at the Azimut-L teleport specially built for this project in Zolochev (Lvov region) to support the link via Intelsat-IVa satellites. In the 1980 to 1981 timeframe, the channels of the direct government communication Kremlin - White House line between the USSR and the USA were switched to the Dubna Space Communication Center. The satellite segment of the channels was arranged in accordance with the agreement on measures to improve the direct USSR - USA communication line. With the launch of the Gorizont spacecraft into orbit, the hot line satellite channel began to operate via geostationary satellites and ground-based technical facilities of the Dubna CCS, Vladimir CCS, and via the American earth stations Fort-Detrick and Etam. In subsequent years, direct government communication channels were switched to operate via Express satellites. Later, direct government communication lines through Dubna were also arranged with Paris and London. At present, the operation of the direct Moscow - Washington communication line continues to provide a high-quality service, which Has been confirned confirmed by the American side in their message of congratulations sent to RSCC.