AWS Starts Operating Satellite Ground Stations in Ohio, Oregon

Amazon Web Services has begun operating its first ground stations in Oregon and Ohio that will enable satellite communications in near-real time to support commercial or government programs, C4ISRNET reported Friday.

The ground stations are designed to rapidly process satellite imagery and data to be stored at satellite operators’ cloud or computing-based platforms which can be used for critical efforts such as intelligence community projects and natural disaster management.

Shayn Hawthorne, general manager of AWS’ ground station division, said the stations also allow the collection of analog-based data and deploy encrypted communications technology for sensitive government information.

Hawthorne noted that AWS intends to start running 12 stations this year and expand its network on an annual basis to “provide capacity ahead of demand for our customers.”