USA-GEOS: The Highest Latitude Ground Station On U.S. Soil
Project Overview
Quintillion’s United States Arctic – Ground Station and Earth Observation System (USA-GEOS) facility in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska is located at 72°N latitude, 330 miles north of the Arctic Circle, making it the northernmost satellite ground station on U.S. soil.
As the highest latitude ground station on US soil, USA-GEOS offers an advantageous and secure location for American satellite operators to downlink or uplink data. The facility offers dedicated platform leasing bundled with a variety of services —including operations and maintenance (O&M), backhaul, colocation, power, and cloud access. This ground station is ideal for polar-orbiting satellite constellations requiring high-latitude data acquisition with U.S. data sovereignty and was designed to serve commercial, military, and government operators.
Download the USA-GEOS one-pager to learn more about its capabilities.
USA-GEOS Station Map
Key Advantages
U.S. Jurisdiction
A U.S. based alternative to foreign high-latitude sites, standalone or as a complementary partner site. Full regulatory alignment for FCC licensing, ITAR compliance, and federal data sovereignty requirements. End-to-end U.S.-controlled data handling with an auditable chain of custody from downlink through delivery.
Federal Market Access and Procurement Advantage
Mandatory for many DoD and national-security missions and increasingly preferred by commercial customers as data geopatriation requirements expand. U.S.-based infrastructure also supports Buy American eligibility and provides meaningful advantages in federal contracting.
Triple-Redundant Fiber
Direct fiber connectivity to Quintillion’s subsea and terrestrial network plus high-capacity satellite backhaul. Redundancy means reliability.
Turnkey Bundled Services
Pad lease, power, O&M, and broadband connectivity packaged together for simplified operations. À la carte options also available for operators to select individual services.
Physical Security
The site maintains rigorous physical security controls. All on-site personnel are U.S. persons who meet Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) security requirements, ensuring full compliance with federal access and personnel vetting standards.
High Latitude Access & Infrastructure
Increased contact frequency for polar and sun-synchronous orbit satellites with 360° clear horizon provides more data per satellite. Multi-terabit bandwidth, a low-RF-interference environment, and access to ample, low-cost power create a significant operational and economic advantage.
Ideal For
Earth observation and hyperspectral imaging constellations in polar/SSO orbits
U.S. government and defense missions requiring domestic data landing
LEO communications satellites requiring frequent ground contact
Operators seeking a U.S.-based alternative to foreign high-latitude sites
Facility Specifications
Location:
Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska — 71°16'N, 156°48'W
Site Capacity:
16 acres; multiple antenna pads
Connectivity:
Terabit-level triple redundant fiber and scalable bandwidth
Power:
Dual supply (grid + generator); cold-hardened enclosures
Additional Resources
Benefits of Quintillion's High Latitude Data Acquisition Ground Station
Downloading Satellite Data at America’s Northernmost Point
Building The Quintillion High Latitude Data Acquisition Ground Station in Utqiaġvik
George Tronsrue: America’s Arctic Blind Spot
Choose Quintillion's USA-GEOS for Your Satellite Operation
Until the launch of USA-GEOS, satellite operators have been faced with two choices: to downlink to a facility in a different country or use a low-latitude ground station. USA-GEOS closes critical security gaps by reducing reliance on foreign entities for processing satellite data and providing a diversified backup point at the most remote place in the United States.
Looking for a secure downlinking solution for your polar-orbiting satellite operation?