South Pole Satellites
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Alert
As of midnight, December 20, 2024, the U.S. government is experiencing a lapse in appropriations. Until the situation is resolved, please refer to OPM.gov website regarding the status for federal employees. We expect the U.S. Antarctic Program to remain operational under our contractor for the foreseeable future. Should the situation change, we will post additional information on this website when it is legally permissible to do so.
Special Service Announcements

March 21, 2017
Due to compatibility issues with a growing number of user systems, the clickable JavaScript version of the schedule is no longer distributed. The static 6-page version of the schedule, which contains identical information and is compatible with all systems, is still published weekly.

Archived Announcements

June 20, 2016
The South Pole weekly satellite schedule now includes pass data for the DSCS satellite.


June 15, 2016
GOES-3 will be removed from service effective June 15, 2016. The satellite will be maneuvered into a disposal orbit after 28 years of service


December 1, 2014
TDRS F5 will be removed from service at midnight UTC on December 8, 2014. At that time, all South Pole science transmissions will be switched to TDRS F6. TDRS F6 is visible during the same window as the GOES satellite, and passes will overlap on the schedule.


March 27, 2014
The South Pole weekly satellite schedule now includes pass data for the NATO IVB satellite.


March 1, 2013
Effective March 11, 2013, F6 will replace F3 as TDRS-Spare. SPTR availability should not be affected by this change.


March 5, 2012
Effective January 23 2012, TDRS F6 is no longer available for use by the Space Network. SPTR will continue to utilize TDRS F5 as a primary resource and TDRS F3 as a backup resource to clear science data backlogs.


October 1, 2009
NASA TDRS F1 Satellite ends service supporting communication with South Pole Station:
USAP Customer Services Advisory


October 24, 2008
Intelsat had to make an unexpected decommissioning and disposal of the MARISAT-F2 satellite. The last date of service for South Pole Station was October 28, 2008.
MARISAT-F2 Decommissioning Notice