ATLAS works with AWS to advance federated network and expand ground station coverage

ATLAS works with AWS to advance federated network and expand ground station coverage
by Staff Writers
Traverse City MI (SPX) Feb 01, 2023

ATLAS Space Operations, a leading Ground Software as a Service (GSaaS) provider, has announced that it is the first provider to join the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solution Provider Program (SPP) to resell AWS Ground Station, a fully managed ground station infrastructure which lets customers control satellite communications, process data, and scale their operations.

The SPP is an official AWS program allowing specific AWS Partners to resell AWS services to end customers as part of their unique offerings. The SPP will expand ATLAS' global federated network, a network of networks that work together seamlessly through Freedom, ATLAS' proprietary software that integrates its global ground network with partnered ground antenna sites.

ATLAS clients will now have access to 11 additional ground sites, giving customers low-latency and low-cost access to AWS services so that they can quickly store and process their data. The Freedom software abstracts complexity through features such as flex scheduling, streaming metrics, pass insights, status updates, and one endpoint for all TT&C. This facilitates automation and integration into existing architectures.

AWS Ground Station lets space operators downlink and process their own satellite data without having to worry about building or managing ground station infrastructure. AWS Ground Station provides a global network of ground stations in close proximity to the global network of AWS infrastructure regions.

The work between ATLAS and AWS demonstrates ATLAS' ability to combine and expand ground networks under a consistent Software as a Service offering. This software forward approach means ATLAS provides a fully managed service where operators have access to 29 ground stations around the world, including the global AWS Ground Station network, which has locations in North America (Hawaii, Ohio, and Oregon), Middle East (Bahrain), Europe (Ireland and Stockholm), Asia Pacific (Seoul, Singapore, and Sydney), Africa (Cape Town), and South America (Punta Arenas).

For clients not looking to invest in architecting their AWS Ground Station solution, ATLAS will fully manage all aspects of integration, from cloud formation to data delivery. This allows Satellite Operators to leverage ATLAS' experience to get to market faster, with lower complexity.

"This work with AWS is a validation of the federated network model, and an immediate boost to ATLAS clients who can now access 11 new ground stations with zero software changes," said Brad Bode, ATLAS Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder.

Bode continued, "We're excited about our relationship because it offers an integration-friendly gateway to expanded space communication services for our clients. The aggregation of multiple networks under one SaaS offers lower latency, pricing flexibility, surge support, and increases operator options, through a common interface."