Belgium Ground station Lessive
Inaugurated in 1972, this ground station made satellite communication possible. The phone signals from people calling to another continent got transmitted through these antennae towards communication satellites such as Eutelsat and Intelsat. However, as technology evolved and internet became widely available satellite communication became obsolete and the activities of this station got suspended in 2001. The station has been sold twice and the current owner (a real estate agent) plans to build a state of the art residential area whilst preserving the antennae, but he is met with much resistance. Presumably the antennae will continue to just stand there unused for many years to come.
Photography Tips
Though the station is no longer in use, access to it is as a matter of fact forbidden. Next to that the station is surrounded by forest and trees, leaving few angles to get good photographs from.
If you're lucky, the fence to the meadow opposite the intersection of the Rue du Jardinia and Rue de l'Antenne is open and you can walk down to the treeline. There's a gap from where you have a good viewpoint of the antennae.
If you're lucky, the fence to the meadow opposite the intersection of the Rue du Jardinia and Rue de l'Antenne is open and you can walk down to the treeline. There's a gap from where you have a good viewpoint of the antennae.
Travel Information
There are no parking places in the area but there isn't much traffic so parking on the side of the road shouldn't be a problem. You can also park on the driveway of the ground station. The station is easily and quickly accessible via the E411 highway, taking exit 22a Lavaux-Ste-Anne (coming from Brussels you can also see Lessive with a satellite dish symbol next to it on the exit sign).
Spot Type
Outdoor
Crowd Factor
Nearly no other people
Best Timing
All timings are equally good
Sunrise & Sunset
08:34 - 16:41
| current local time: 22:00
Photo Themes
antenna
astronomy
astrophotography
constellation
ground station
Night
nightscape
satellite dish
stars
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