Satellite operations presents a wide range of challenges as an Earth-based team operates and maintains a spacecraft in orbit that they cannot see or touch. Engineers need to respond to new issues in real time as well as anticipate future problems by proactively monitoring spacecraft health and preparing detailed response plans and products. The RADARSAT-2 mission, which has been successfully operated at the Canadian Space Agency for over 11 years, has many examples of how operations staff have responded to and anticipated new challenges. An overview of the RADARSAT-2 operations philosophy will be presented, bringing together a team with various skill sets and various horizon to address challenging issues along with a summary of the most interesting challenges encountered and overcome during the mission thus far.
