By Danielle Bochove and Thomas Seal
Nov 22, 2025 (Bloomberg) – Satellite operators are focusing on the Arctic region as the competition in space heats up. Countries like the US and China are vying for more effective communication links with satellites that orbit close to the North Pole, leading to a surge in demand for Arctic ground stations.
Deadhorse, Alaska, has emerged as an unexpected player in this space race. Situated about 850 miles north of Anchorage, this community serves as a hub for the Prudhoe Bay oil field and is solely built to support oil extraction. Despite lacking basic amenities like a hospital or school, it has worker dormitories and a general store.
Moreover, Deadhorse possesses crucial infrastructure for satellite operations, including fiberoptic cables necessary for data transmission. “You can only place satellite dishes where there's fiber,” noted Christopher Richins, founder of RBC Signals LLC, which operates eight antennas in Deadhorse. “Otherwise, the data comes down but has no destination.”
Interest in the Arctic is steadily increasing. “We will see more ground stations, more dishes at current sites, and additional cables to ensure reliability,” said Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Columbia who studies space and Arctic sovereignty.
Climate change is further enhancing shipping routes and the strategic significance of the region. A Chinese shipping firm is planning consistent summer routes through the Arctic Ocean to Europe, part of their broader “Polar Silk Road” initiative. According to Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, China has also significantly increased its polar satellite presence.
President Donald Trump’s proposed Golden Dome space defense system will likely incorporate satellites targeting this area, and the US is already awarding substantial defense contracts for northern projects. In 2024, Northrop Grumman Corp. announced the activation of Arctic payloads for the US Space Force and secured a contract exceeding $4.1 billion to build two polar-orbiting satellites by 2031. Boeing Co. recently won a $2.8 billion contract for two satellites, with an option for two more, as part of a $12 billion initiative that Space Systems Command described as enhancing “Arctic capability.”
“The advantage of a polar orbit is that it covers every part of the globe,” explained David Marsh, founder of the consulting firm Space For Earth and an Arctic expert. “As you orbit, the Earth rotates beneath you.”
If China or Russia were to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, “all of that will pass over the North Pole,” noted Pierre Leblanc, a retired Canadian Armed Forces colonel. “It's crucial to have numerous sensors monitoring this area that can swiftly relay information.”
The archipelago of Svalbard in Norway is an ideal site for satellite tracking. It's the closest significant landmass to the North Pole and is linked to mainland Norway through undersea cables. Svalbard is also home to Svalsat, the largest polar satellite ground station in the world.
However, a treaty from 1920 recognizes Norway’s sovereignty over Svalbard but prohibits its use for military purposes. This means that “data cannot be downloaded for military use,” according to Ole Kokvik, director of Svalsat.
The vulnerability of subsea cables also presents challenges. A Space Norway connection between Svalbard and the mainland lost power in 2022, and there have been incidents of sabotage against underwater data cables in the Baltic Sea.
These issues are driving interest in alternative locations. “There are risks associated with being on a remote island, especially with submarines and ships operating in the area,” said Fredrik Schäder, chief business development officer of Arctic Space Technologies AB. This company operates in Piteå, Sweden, where it recently installed its first of 35 antennas, with plans to increase that number next year, catering to both government and corporate customers like Viasat Inc. and Eutelsat Communications.
Eutelsat, which competes with Elon Musk's Starlink, inaugurated a ground station in Yellowknife, the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories, last year in collaboration with Swedish Space Corp. and local partner Northwestel.
Another focal point for Canadian activity is Inuvik, home to around 3,300 residents. This town houses ground stations operated by Canada and one by Norway's Kongsberg Satellite Services. Clients include the French, German, and Swedish governments. In 2025, the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility added five additional dishes, bringing the total to 13. “Canada is setting up another dish because their station is at capacity,” noted Mayor Peter Clarkson. “The Swedes are also increasing their infrastructure to serve a wider customer base.”
C-Core, which runs another ground station in Inuvik, recently announced expansion plans as the Canadian government, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, seeks to reduce reliance on the US. C-Core, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, aims to “support Canadian missions for Canadians,” according to vice president Desmond Power.
Additionally, a local internet service provider called New North Networks, managed by entrepreneur Tom Zubko, has secured land for a new ground station. “Chinese satellites pass over us frequently, approximately every hour, as do Russian satellites,” he stated.
To the east, increased satellite activity has made the US Space Force base in Pituffik, Greenland, more significant for satellite surveillance. During a visit in March, Vice President JD Vance mentioned that Denmark had “under-invested in the security infrastructure” on the island, which Trump has suggested the US consider acquiring.
Like Svalbard, Greenland relies on undersea cables that can be susceptible to attacks — and isn’t part of the US. “It's essential to establish a robust, updated presence on US (Arctic) territory,” said Elizabeth Buchanan, a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, highlighting the infrastructure advancements made during Joe Biden’s presidency.
One US facility is the Clear Space Force Station, located about 80 miles southwest of Fairbanks. In June, the Space Force collaborated with the US Missile Defense Agency and US Northern Command to test systems from Clear to track intercontinental ballistic missiles.
RBC Signals, anticipating more customers, is looking to expand in Deadhorse. Richins mentioned that the town also hosts an Amazon.com Inc. facility, part of the AWS Ground Station network.
An Amazon spokesperson refrained from commenting on the location of their Alaskan facility.
RBC Signals has contracts with customers like the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Space Development Agency, according to CEO Ron Faith. The company started its operations in Deadhorse with a single antenna situated on the roof of the area’s only hotel, and now has a 3.9-meter antenna that began service last year.
In the far north, “you can track a satellite over 14 times a day,” Faith explained, “while in mid-latitudes, you might only see it four times daily.”
Construction presents its own challenges in the Arctic climate. To withstand snow and strong winds, the antennas are housed in dome structures on heated platforms that resemble hot air balloons anchored by steel pilings drilled 45 feet deep to counteract thawing permafrost.
During construction in 2018, workers encountered a grizzly bear exploring an incomplete structure. Subsequently, the company installed a locked door and fenced the area with barbed wire to prevent human undeterred entry.
Emerging technologies, such as inter-satellite links for data transfer in space, could lessen the need for ground stations in remote areas. “Perhaps having geographically remote stations won’t be as vital if there are enough satellites to relay data among themselves,” noted C-Core’s Power.
Nonetheless, satellite operators are likely to maintain observation points in the High North, emphasized Marsh from Space for Earth. “Even with advanced inter-satellite laser communications, bandwidth remains a constraint,” he pointed out. “It’s still more effective to have a large dish connected to a reliable fiber optic cable.”