DLR chose a location on Schmidt Península for several reasons.
The station’s nearness to the South Pole means more frequent contacts with polar orbiting satellites and thus faster access to data.
The island provides a firm, rocky, and thus solid foundation for the station and the antenna, which also means favourable preconditions for long-term geodetic measurements.
Infrastructure had already been set up by Chile for its nearby research station in order to transport staff, fuel and food to the Antarctic. The logistics connected with DLR’s O’Higgins Station are managed in close cooperation with the Chileans.
Another advantage: the combination of the DLR receiving station, the U.S. McMurdo Station and the Japanese Syowa Station, all situated on Antarctica, makes it possible for the first time to scan the entire Antarctic continent itself by satellite.
