Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signed a ground station-as-a-service (GSaaS) partnership with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT).

“Today, AWS is excited to announce an enhanced collaboration with KSAT, a world-leading provider of communication services for spacecraft and launch vehicles, as part of the AWS Ground Station as a Service (GSaaS) Partner Program,” Amazon said this week. “Satellite operators can now seamlessly access KSAT’s global satellite ground station network and operation services as well as the services and tools of AWS—the most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud.”

Under the deal, KSAT will integrate cloud services into its global network and offer access to both AWS Ground Station’s and KSAT’s antennas to its customers.

KSAT’s ground station network includes more than 40 locations hosting 200 multi-mission antennas worldwide.

"This expanded partnership with AWS shows continued focus within KSAT to lead the way in satellite communications and ground station services,” said KSAT CEO, Rolf Skatteboe. “By integrating AWS Ground Station with our own globally distributed infrastructure, we’re able to offer more connectivity, enhancing our unmatched customer support offerings, at scale. AWS is the leader in cloud enabled solutions for space missions, and bringing together our capabilities is powerful."

First launched in 2019, AWS has ground station antennas at its regions in the US (Oregon, Ohio, Hawaii, Alaska), the Middle East (Bahrain), Europe (Stockholm, Ireland), Asia Pacific (Sydney, Seoul, Singapore), Africa (Cape Town), and South America (Punta Arenas in Chile).

Satellite customers pay for antenna access time on demand, which Amazon claims can save users up to 80 percent of their ground station costs, when compared to the traditional approach of leasing antennas at stations or building entirely new ground stations.

AWS' ground stations are located near the company's data centers, so data can be processed in Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances and stored on the cloud service.

“KSAT has been a recognized leader in commercial ground station network offerings for decades,” said Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Clint Crosier, Director, AWS Aerospace and Satellite. “By deepening our work with KSAT, we combine the best of both organizations into a powerful and unique solution, marking not just a shift for our customers but for the industry at large. The full range of AWS capabilities, coupled with KSAT’s focus on commercial ground connectivity, provide space customers with enhanced resilience and innovation beyond what’s available today—driving both mission and business success. We are setting a new standard for the future of satellite communications and cloud integration.”

GSaaS provides satellite operators with access to ground stations on a pay-per-use basis, allowing multiple users to book time and capacity on shared antennas, as opposed to buying their own. Startup GSaaS providers include Leaf Space, RBC Signals, and Infostellar.