Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 3 (GOES 3) was the third in a series of National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellites designed to maintain a fixed position relative to Earth. (The program is ongoing; GOES 14 was launched in June.) About 10 years ago GOES 3 was repurposed as a communications satellite for the U.S. Antarctic Program. As the satellite has drifted over the years, its orbital tilt, or inclination, relative to Earth's equator has increased, making it more available to the far southern Antarctic stations. An artist's representation of a satellite from GOES 3's class is shown above.

Until five years ago, an even older satellite known as ATS 3 (for Applications Technology Satellite), launched in 1967, was active in the constellation of Antarctic communication satellites, having entered service with the arrival of an Apple IIe terminal to operate ATS 3 from Antarctica in 1984. That satellite was finally deactivated in 2004 after 37 years of operation, according to Patrick Smith, the manager of technology development, Antarctic infrastructure and logistics for the National Science Foundation.