NEN Gallery

Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station is on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall. It was opened in 1962 on the former site of RAF Drytree radar station. It occupies a site of over 160 acres and is the largest earth station in the world. At the height of its work it had 61 satellite dishes on site but there are now approximately 45 on site. The dishes are named after characters from Arthurian legend because of Cornwall's strong links with that mythology. The site is now owned and managed by BT, who also have other earth stations - Madley in Herefordshire, London Teleport in Docklands, Adastral Park at Martlesham in Suffolk.
Arthus is the oldest and heaviest dish, weighing in at 1100 tons. Despite its heavy weight it can move 360 degrees (azimuth) and 180 degrees (elevation) in 3 minutes.