GroundStation
Wales

Groundstation Wales, proudly operated by Infinity Space in South Wales, is a dual‑dish satellite communications and control hub serving as a critical link between orbiting assets and mission operators.

Built for Low Earth Orbit Defence Communications

This strategic facility serves as a critical command‑and‑control interface between orbiting assets and mission operators on the ground. As an integral node in the UK’s defence and space infrastructure, it delivers secure satellite communications, rapid data acquisition, and precision mission control for military, government, and authorised operations. Purpose‑built for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions, it supports satellites operating between 160 km and 2,000 km, tracking fast‑moving objects with high‑accuracy systems to ensure uninterrupted downlink and uplink windows during every pass. Designed for resilience and operational agility, the groundstation enables assured access to mission‑critical data in both peacetime and contested environments.

Why We Built Groundstation Wales

Groundstation Wales was established to cement Wales’s role as a strategic node in the UK’s defence and space infrastructure. By providing a sovereign, dedicated communications hub for Low Earth Orbit satellites, we ensure that military, government, and authorised partners maintain direct, secure access to their orbital assets.

This facility strengthens national resilience and operational capability by supporting secure downlink, uplink, and real‑time command functions. With precision tracking and high‑throughput links optimised for fast‑moving LEO satellites, Groundstation Wales enables persistent surveillance, rapid intelligence relay, and assured communications in both peacetime and contested environments. Beyond its operational role, it drives regional innovation by attracting defence technology companies, research institutions, and strategic industry partners — reinforcing the UK’s ability to project power, protect assets, and maintain freedom of action in the space domain.

Dual‑Dish Architecture for Strategic Coverage

Groundstation Wales operates with a dual‑dish configuration engineered for secure, multi‑band communications across diverse mission profiles. The system includes a UHF/VHF tracking dish optimised for tactical communications, training missions, and legacy satellite support, alongside an S‑band dish dedicated to precision telemetry, tracking, and command. In 2026, the station will integrate an experimental X‑band receiver to enable high‑data‑rate downlinks from advanced Earth observation and reconnaissance satellites. This multi‑dish architecture allows simultaneous monitoring of multiple satellites and frequency bands, enhancing mission flexibility, increasing data throughput, and ensuring resilient communications in both peacetime and contested operational environments.

Sustainable Space

Seren Station - Our First Ground Station

In 2022, our journey began with the inheritance of a weathered satellite dish—a relic from earlier missions that once heard the whispers of orbiting spacecraft. Though aged and limited in capability, this dish provided the crucial first foothold in ground communications. It taught us invaluable lessons in site calibration, signal optimisation, and the resilience required to run a station in Wales’s ever-changing weather.

From this humble beginning, we centered our efforts on modernising infrastructure while honouring the legacy of those early transmissions. The old dish guided the design principles of subsequent installations, informing our choices in antenna mechanics, radio frequency shielding, and automated tracking systems.

Strategic Location in the Welsh Valleys

Situated in Maesteg, at the heart of the Llynfi Valley in South Wales, our facility occupies a naturally shielded position that offers exceptional conditions for secure ground operations. Low electromagnetic interference (EMI), combined with natural radio shielding from the surrounding hills and unobstructed skies, ensures optimal satellite signal reception and precision pass tracking with minimal risk of disruption. Purpose‑built to support defence‑grade PocketQube and CubeSat missions, the site is equipped with highly responsive tracking systems and advanced Doppler correction to maintain lock on fast‑moving LEO assets. Our fully automated antenna and control systems deliver resilient downlink, uplink, and command capabilities — enabling assured communications in both peacetime and contested operational environments.

The Strategic Importance of Groundstation Wales

Groundstation Wales is a cornerstone of the UK’s sovereign satellite communications network, ensuring secure, uninterrupted control over mission‑critical data streams. By linking Low Earth Orbit assets directly to Welsh soil, we eliminate reliance on foreign relay stations, reduce latency, and strengthen national security, operational resilience, and decision‑making speed.

In addition to its frontline operational role, Groundstation Wales drives long‑term innovation and capability development. It provides defence agencies, research institutions, and strategic industry partners with direct access to live satellite telemetry, enabling advancements in remote sensing, secure Internet of Things connectivity, and space‑based intelligence.

Telemetry and Tracking Operations

Our advanced telemetry and tracking capabilities are powered by mission‑grade software, programmable radios, and rotator‑controlled antennas with full azimuth and elevation tracking. During satellite passes, the system autonomously acquires and locks onto target spacecraft, applies precise Doppler shift correction, demodulates telemetry, and, where authorised, executes secure command uplink operations. Processed data is relayed in near real‑time to defence mission control centres, government agencies, or strategic partners, ensuring rapid intelligence flow and operational responsiveness. Groundstation Wales is a critical node in Infinity Space’s vision for a distributed, resilient, and sovereign UK space communications network. It directly supports our work in satellite development, propulsion innovation, and orbital experimentation — creating a secure, seamless link between assets in orbit and mission‑critical operations on the ground.

Supporting Our Flagship Defence Missions: DragonSat, Phoenix, SerenSat, and Ares

Groundstation Wales is the backbone of our operational capability, delivering end‑to‑end, secure communications for DragonSat, Phoenix, SerenSat, and Ares. From initial launch through on‑orbit manoeuvres to de‑orbit procedures, our precision‑engineered antennas ensure uninterrupted command uplinks and high‑integrity telemetry downlinks during every pass — maintaining mission assurance in both peacetime and contested environments.

Empowering Operations, Enabling Strategic Advantage

Groundstation Wales is a critical component of Infinity Space’s mission to build a distributed, resilient, and sovereign space communications network for the UK and its allies. It complements our work in satellite development, propulsion innovation, and orbital experimentation, ensuring that mission‑critical data flows securely and without interruption. By establishing robust ground infrastructure, we create a seamless, secure link between assets in orbit and the command, intelligence, and research activities driving defence, government, and strategic industry operations on the ground.

Empowering a Nation’s Strategic Journey Beyond Earth

We believe that space is a sovereign domain — and that includes Wales. Groundstation Wales is not just a facility; it is a symbol of national capability, resilience, and innovation. It provides defence agencies, government programmes, engineers, and strategic industry partners with direct access to the space domain from South Wales. Whether you are commanding a secure satellite mission, conducting space‑based intelligence gathering, or testing next‑generation orbital systems, Groundstation Wales stands ready to deliver assured communications and mission support — connecting the UK’s operational edge on Earth to its assets in orbit.

GroundStationWales