Calian Group, a company based in Ontario and listed on the TSX under the symbol CGY, has been selected to provide a third high-performance antenna to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for its space geodesy project. This 12-meter antenna will be utilized for NASA’s Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Global Observing System (VGOS).
The antenna supplied by Calian’s subsidiary InterTronic will support NASA’s Space Geodesy project, which oversees the maintenance of global geodetic infrastructure, including the VGOS network of antennas. Following the acquisition of InterTronic in 2021, Calian describes the subsidiary as a leading provider of high-performance antennas with state-of-the-art, high-precision solutions.
Mohamed Saad, President of InterTronic, expressed satisfaction in continuing the longstanding collaboration with NASA, emphasizing the innovative capabilities developed by the InterTronic and NASA-VLBI teams over nearly a decade.
Calian’s antennas are known for their ultra-strong design that mitigates thermal, wind, and gravity load distortion, delivering exceptional performance across all frequency bands with advanced tracking, pointing accuracy, and reference point stability. Meeting NASA’s rigorous standards underscores the unique quality and precision of Calian’s antennas, especially crucial for the demanding requirements of the VGOS program.
VLBI is a space geodetic technique crucial for measuring and understanding the Earth’s geometric properties, orientation in space, and gravity field variations. Data collected from VLBI antennas supports NASA in determining Earth’s and celestial positions, as well as Earth’s orientation in space.
In addition to providing critical measurements, VLBI antennas also enable geoscientists to study Earth’s atmosphere, ocean tides, currents, and elastic responses. Patrick Thera, President of Advanced Technologies at Calian, underscored the company’s commitment to embracing new challenges and leveraging the technical and production capabilities of InterTronic to meet demanding requirements across various markets, including commercial antenna solutions.
