Participants of the Antarctica expedition of the 2041 Foundation will stay connected and share their findings in real-time while on a climate mission, thanks to high-performance satellite connectivity services on board an expedition vessel, SES has announced.
The main purpose of the expedition, led by the explorer Robert Swan, is to contribute to society’s understanding of climate change and what can be done to address it, saving Antarctica for future generations as an intact reserve for science and wildlife.
The expedition, comprising a group of 150 participants from all walks of life, has a bold mission to preserve Antarctica and to help reduce the impact of climate change by 2041 through raising awareness of climate action and its importance to everyone across the globe.
The group of students, education professionals, scientists and entrepreneurs will depart March 20, 2022, on board Ocean Victory and will provide regular streaming sessions throughout the voyage, thanks to satellite connectivity services enabled by SES and Speedcast. Leading passenger ship and fleet management company Cruise Management International provides technical and operations solutions to Ocean Victory, using Speedcast for the managed connectivity services onboard.
This is the first time that the Foundation 2041 expedition will benefit from a dedicated connectivity service for streaming and real-time sessions with the outside world. To enable this, SES will leverage a C-band beam on the SES-6 satellite to provide connectivity, with speeds reaching up to 50 Mbps.
Speedcast is providing the managed service for the expedition, including onboard equipment, hub, teleport, backhaul, and customer support. The connectivity will help the participants remain connected with their families and friends back home, enabling them to share the reality of climate change in real-time throughout the expedition.
“This is a complete first in our history, where we are planning to be actively communicating live from our ship, and which was made possible thanks to SES and Speedcast. This will allow us to get our message back to the rest of the world – on what we are doing, why we are doing it, but also to challenge people and encourage them act to make a difference,” said Robert Swan. “Helping Antarctica means helping the current and future generations, and we should jointly make a change already now, before it is too late.”
Committed to making a tangible difference through its activities, SES has recently implemented a new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) agenda and set of ESG targets. Under the company’s Horizon ESG strategy, where sustainable space meets sustainable Earth, SES is supporting 2041 Foundation from its ESG-funded program and is playing an active role in supporting the effort of the international community to reduce environmental impacts. SES is committed to reaching NetZero by 2050.
Gez Draycott, an SES employee will be supporting the expedition on site. Using the improved connectivity, he will give an exclusive behind-the-scenes look of the expedition on his Instagram account at @gez_antarctica to increase awareness of this project.
“Making a difference is a core value of SES. In addition to doing so through the services we provide worldwide, we have defined the key pillars of our Environmental, Social, and Governance strategy. Robert Swan’s 2041 Foundation expedition aligns well with SES’s goals, addressing sustainable development challenges on Earth,” said Amber Ledgerwood, Senior Manager, Social and Environmental Impact at SES. “And to achieve this common goal and make a difference on Earth, we are harnessing SES’s connectivity enabled from space, because it is ideal for bringing reliable connectivity even to the most remote locations for tremendous good.”
In partnership with SES, Speedcast is proud to support climate change and exploration efforts, delivering complete connectivity services and applications for expeditions in the most extreme and remote locations on Earth.