Poker Flat Research Range

The Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) is a launch facility and rocket range for sounding rockets in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on a 5,132-acre (20.77 km2) site at Chatanika, about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Fairbanks and 1.5 degrees south of the Arctic Circle.

[1] Areas studied at PFRR include the aurora, plasma physics, the ozone layer, solar proton events, Earth's magnetic field, and ultraviolet radiation.

The UAF Geophysical Institute leased the land that became the PFRR from the state of Alaska, and the range's facilities were initially completed in 1969 with leadership and vision from T. Neil Davis.

[2] Poker Flat Research Range has four launch pads, including two optimized for severe weather, that can handle rockets weighing up to 35,000 pounds (16,000 kg).

[3] Three S-band antennas are used to collect telemetry, and a C-band radar is used for tracking rocket payloads in flight.