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AWS Ground Station FAQs

AWS Ground Station is a fully managed service that enables customers to easily command, control, and downlink data from satellites. You can schedule an AWS Ground Station antenna on a per-minute basis and pay for the time you use. With AWS Ground Station, you can deliver satellite data to Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) for real-time processing or store the data in Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) for asynchronous processing with other AWS services."},"metadata":{"tags":[{"name":"General","namespaceId":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1","id":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1#general-0"}]}},{"fields":{"itemDark":"false","id":"awt-content-topics#what-are-the-key-benefits-of-aws-ground-station-1","itemHeading":"What are the key benefits of AWS Ground Station?","itemLongLoc":"

Traditionally, you needed significant capital investment to build satellite ground stations and the operating center. This approach limits your ability to respond quickly to new business opportunities and requires you to operate and maintain a global network of ground antennas. With AWS Ground Station, AWS manages the ground station infrastructure, allowing you to focus on new applications for data processing and analysis. This data is easily integrated with other AWS services using Amazon’s global, low latency backbone network."},"metadata":{"tags":[{"name":"General","namespaceId":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1","id":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1#general-0"}]}},{"fields":{"itemDark":"false","id":"awt-content-topics#how-do-i-get-started-using-aws-ground-station-2","itemHeading":"How do I get started using AWS Ground Station?","itemLongLoc":"

To sign up for AWS Ground Station, select the “Complete Sign Up” button on the AWS Ground Station detail page. You must have an AWS account to access this service; if you do not already have one, you will be prompted to create one when you begin the Amazon Ground Station signup process. After signing up, please refer to the Amazon Ground Station documentation, which includes our Getting Started Guide. We recommend that new customers begin by interacting with the AWS Ground Station digital twin feature before scheduling satellite contacts."},"metadata":{"tags":[{"name":"General","namespaceId":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1","id":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1#general-0"}]}},{"fields":{"itemDark":"false","id":"awt-content-topics#can-i-schedule-time-on-an-antenna-in-one-location-eg-oregon-while-i-am-working-from-another-location-eg-dubbo-3","itemHeading":"Can I schedule time on an antenna in one location (e.g. Oregon) while I am working from another location (e.g. Dubbo)?","itemLongLoc":"

Yes, AWS Ground Station is a global network of antenna systems that are available to users around the world. In fact, it will be common for many users to schedule time on antennas at every location in the global network."},"metadata":{"tags":[{"name":"General","namespaceId":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1","id":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1#general-0"}]}},{"fields":{"itemDark":"false","id":"awt-content-topics#where-are-aws-ground-station-antennas-located-4","itemHeading":"Where are AWS Ground Station antennas located?","itemLongLoc":"

AWS Ground Station continues to expand service locations around the world. To see a list of supported regions, see the AWS Ground Station Locations page."},"metadata":{"tags":[{"name":"General","namespaceId":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1","id":"awt-content-topics#ams#c1#general-0"}]}},{"fields":{"itemDark":"false","id":"awt-content-topics#do-i-need-to-obtain-a-ground-station-or-spectrum-license-to-use-aws-ground-station-antennas-5","itemHeading":"Do I need to obtain a ground station or spectrum license to use AWS Ground Station antennas?","itemLongLoc":"

No. Once you have completed the ITU filling and FCC filing, as appropriate, and obtained the satellite license to operate, AWS will obtain the ground station license so our antennas can uplink and downlink with your satellite. Once we obtain the license, we will onboard your satellite to the AWS Ground Station(s) with approved licenses. For planned and existing satellites, you complete the Onboarding Questionnaire, which includes the necessary data for obtaining licenses at the ground stations you select. AWS will provide you with a cost estimate for each location, and once you approve, we will submit and coordinate licensing. Once we obtain licenses we will onboard your satellite(s) to operate with our AWS Ground Stations. \n

Timelines vary across countries. AWS estimates are in the Spectrum Licensing Timeframe table. Once we submit an application we will not have updates until the license is approved, or the regulator asks for additional information.  \n

Spectrum Licensing Timeframe \n

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