New SSPI Better Satellite World Video from SSPI explores connectivity at the Poles

This video explores how satellite has brought reliable connectivity to polar researchers, allowing them to deliver valuable data on climate change in a race against time to help understand and combat it. Data from the Ends of the Earth is made possible by funding from Speedcast.

Inside the Story
For 30 million years, the North and South Poles have been kingdoms of ice and snow. But today, there is nowhere on Earth more at risk from climate change. The Antarctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. Arctic temperatures are rising even faster.

Scientists are in a race against time to understand what is happening at the poles and help the world change the story. Researchers at both ends of the Earth are gathering tens of thousands of data points and creating trillions of bytes of data on the subject. In the race against time, no one can afford to wait months for research ships to return to port with information. They need it now.

Today, a new generation of satellites, including Starlink and OneWeb, are covering the entire globe. But they are especially vulnerable to interference from bad weather, which is common at the ends of the Earth. A company called Speedcast has the answer as they combine satellite service from the equator with the new generation that covers the poles. It takes a lot of smart engineering and advanced technology, but it makes certain that polar researchers are never out of touch.

“The Arctic and Antarctic are where the impact of climate change is most dramatic,” said executive director Robert Bell. “That makes them critical laboratories for understanding global warming’s current and future impact on our world. Our new video spotlights the critical role of advanced satellite communications to bring massive amounts of data from the poles in near-real time to power research.”

You can watch the video on SSPI’s website and on Youtube.