Last fall X2nSat was thrilled to announce our plans for our new teleport in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Our executive team enjoyed our ceremonial groundbreaking along with the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance and New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez. Since this time, we have been very busy out in the desert, and are excited to share some progress as our facility begins to take shape.
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From a strategic standpoint, X2nSat’s Las Cruces Satellite Gateway creates numerous operational advantages for delivering reliable connectivity under any and all circumstances and contingencies. This new gateway will provide better line of sight to some existing satellites, and will allow us to also gain access to some new satellites our existing gateways have not had the capability of reaching. This facility will also allow for an additional dimension of redundancy and geographic diversity that is essential to maintain vital communications in times of emergencies or natural disasters. We will also have greater flexibility for routing traffic loads across our entire network.
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We broke ground in December and began preparing the site for the busy months of construction ahead. Seeing graders and other heavy equipment moving dirt around the site was exciting, and signaled that many months of planning were now a reality. The first week of January, we had a flurry of activity that saw our iron gate and stone entrance completed along with the perimeter fencing for Phase I. We are really loving the entrance gate in the photo below that pays homage to the surrounding Organ Mountains and our new home in New Mexico.
In February, our temporary satellite equipment building was installed and the following week the first antenna build began. Work continued on electrical and utilities infrastructure while the generator corral was started. At this point in the project we really started to see progress every day. Even on the days where there did not appear to be much going on at the site, there was ongoing engineering, planning, and other work going on in all departments. This project, just like everything we do at X2nSat, takes the commitment and effort of our entire team. The level of pride and professionalism is evident from the enthusiasm we all have to get this project done right.
In April we began assembling the first antennas on-site and getting them erected and into position.Two antennas measuring 7.6 meters and 7.2 meters went up on the site, followed the next week by (2) 6.4 meter antennas that joined the fleet. Now things are starting to come together and this place is beginning to look like a serious gateway!
There is still much work to be done to get the antennas fully operational for new and existing customers, but once our Las Cruces Satellite Gateway comes fully online, it will further strengthen and expand our capabilities to provide reliable connectivity across all of the Americas. Overall, we could not be more pleased with how this project has unfolded as the X2nSat family of employees and customers continues to grow. Stay tuned for more updates as our latest and greatest gateway becomes online and customer-ready in Summer 2017!
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About the Author
As CEO and founder, Mr. Hill guides the vision and cutting-edge culture of X2nSat, one of the most veteran VSAT providers in North America. In 1996, he founded this forward-thinking satellite communications company with a mission to provide highly reliable, wireless network and communication solutions to a variety of North American industries.