Space Regulatory Glossary Industry

ground segment

noun

1. The terrestrial component of a satellite system, encompassing all ground-based infrastructure required to operate, control, and communicate with spacecraft in orbit. Includes mission control centers, ground stations, data processing facilities, and network operations.
2. Ground segment capabilities are a key factor in FCC and ITU filings, which require detailed specifications of earth station locations, antenna characteristics, and communications links. Ground-as-a-service providers like AWS Ground Station and KSAT have made shared ground segments accessible to smallsat operators.

Read: How Ground Station Licensing Works

Related terms

earth station A ground-based facility equipped to communicate with one or more satellites. Earth stations transmit uplink signals and… telemetry Data transmitted from a spacecraft to a ground station reporting the status of onboard systems — including power… downlink The transmission path from a satellite to a ground station, or the signal itself. In satellite communications, the…

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