Atlas Space in Traverse City Improves Link Between Satellites

Traverse City-based Atlas Space Operations’ Freedom software platform should allow the linking of the Department of Defense, civil government, private agencies, and commercial satellite ground stations to be part of a single, global software-defined network.
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Atlas satellite system
Atlas Space Operations in Traverse City has software connecting satellites in a global network. // Stock photo

Traverse City-based Atlas Space Operations’ Freedom software platform should allow the linking of the Department of Defense, civil government, private agencies, and commercial satellite ground stations to be part of a single, global software-defined network.

As part of an effort to improve operational Hybrid Space Architecture (HAS) capability, Atlas gave a DoD satellite mission operations center access to its assigned DoD ground station and a network of public commercial ground stations using a single seamless software interface.

“This is a critical step forward in hybrid network infrastructure, one that goes beyond commercial augmentation by simultaneously enabling network expansion across government agencies,” says John Williams, CEO of Atlas. “Hybrid space architecture allows DoD and government agencies to continue building out their global networks while providing them the much needed secure, resilient access to global commercial networks like ours.”

When managed by Freedom, government ground antenna equipment “orphaned” by the end of a contract or practically idle due to suboptimal utilization can be returned to use or more efficiently used, says Williams.

Government equipment can be segregated between agencies or divided across multiple organizations to improve cross-utilization and reduce total government costs. Connections to commercial network providers are enabled for all government users allowing agencies to build and modify “hybrid” ground architectures across disparate government and commercial networks.

Freedom software also lets satellite operators in the mission control center to execute time-sensitive and ad-hoc network functions in response to crisis or contingency. The software’s user interface provides satellite operators with the information they need to rapidly identify and access available time and locations across the hybrid network of antennas within minutes.

According to Atlas, when combined with wider access to ground stations, satellite operators using Freedom can adapt and respond far more rapidly to dynamic conditions in space.