York Space Systems and ATLAS Space Operations Activate New Antenna in Mwulire, Rwanda, Doubling Contact Capacity at Its Equatorial Ground Station
New S-band antenna is available for customer scheduling through Freedom®, extending the ATLAS partnership with the Rwanda Space Agency.
DENVER & TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–York Space Systems (York) (NYSE: YSS), a leading U.S.-based national defense and commercial prime providing a comprehensive suite of mission-enabling solutions, and ATLAS Space Operations, a leading provider of Ground Software as a Service™, announced that a new antenna at Rwanda’s teleport in Mwulire entered service on September 18, 2026. This antenna doubles the number of satellite contacts the site can support at one time and further expands equatorial coverage across the ATLAS federated global antenna network.
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ATLAS Space Operations New 3.7M Antenna Located in Mwulire, Rwanda
Mwulire is located about two degrees south of the equator at an altitude of 1,668 meters. This position provides the antenna with visibility of low-inclination satellites that ground stations at higher latitudes cannot see. The location also offers better contact opportunities for missions in mid-inclination orbits. With two antennas now operational, ATLAS is able to manage two simultaneous contacts from Rwanda, increasing network capacity for both existing missions and new clients needing coverage near the equator.
The new antenna is a 3.7-meter receive-only parabolic reflector on a dual-axis AZ/EL pedestal. It receives S-band downlinks from 2200 to 2300 MHz in both left- and right-hand circular polarization, and its feed hardware is S/X-capable, meaning X-band reception can easily be added later without replacing the antenna. This is the first S/X system from M2 Antenna Systems, Inc. to enter service on the ATLAS network.
A new antenna on the ATLAS network is not an integration project for the customer. Freedom handles the scheduling and the site control, so missions already on the network can begin booking contacts in Mwulire through the same API and interface they use today, with nothing to build.
“What customers count on is reliable contacts, and this second antenna in Mwulire gives them more of that. Going from one antenna to two in just over a year says a great deal about the strength of our partnership with the Government of Rwanda, through Rwanda Space Agency (RSA), and about the demand we are seeing for equatorial coverage,” said Kristin Rice, Chief Executive Officer at ATLAS Space Operations.
“The addition of this second antenna at our Mwulire teleport strengthens Rwanda’s ground infrastructure and expands the capacity available to support space missions from Africa. Rwanda’s teleport is open for business and ready to support a growing range of space activities, from antenna hosting to mission control services, and more,” said Gaspard Twagirayezu, Chief Executive Officer, RSA.
RSA hosts the antenna at its Mwulire teleport under an antenna-hosting agreement with ATLAS Space Operations. It is the second antenna installed at the site under that partnership, following the first, which entered service in July 2025.
ATLAS became part of the York Space Systems (NYSE: YSS) family of companies as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2025 and continues to serve customers across the commercial and national security space markets.
“Ground infrastructure is mission-critical, and expanding our global network is essential to delivering the resilient, reliable connectivity our customers require,” said Ryan Frigm, Portfolio Vice President at York. “The new antenna in Rwanda builds on a decade of investment by the ATLAS team and strengthens our ability to support increasingly complex missions around the world.”
ATLAS took the antenna from completed design in early 2026 to shipment in May, installation in August, and service this September. During commissioning, the antenna completed more than 350 scheduled test contacts with a 100% completion rate and no recorded error seconds.
The Freedom platform provides a single API access point to a global network of more than 50 antennas in 20 countries.
About ATLAS Space Operations:
ATLAS Space Operations is the leading provider of Ground Software as a Service™ in the space communications industry. ATLAS’ revolutionary Freedom software has been recognized by industry-leading publications and organizations such as Via Satellite and CIO Review. Additionally, Aerospace & Defense Review named ATLAS the Space Tech Company of the Year (2024) and acknowledged ATLAS as one of the Top Satellite Solutions Providers (2024, 2023). ATLAS combines the Freedom Software Platform and its federated global antenna network to achieve its mission of securing space access anytime, anywhere. To learn more, visit atlasspace.com.
About York Space Systems:
York Space Systems (NYSE: YSS) is a leading, U.S.-based national defense and commercial prime providing a comprehensive suite of mission-critical solutions for national security, government, and commercial customers. York is one of the only space and defense primes with proprietary hardware and software capabilities designed to address customers’ complex mission requirements across the critical elements of the entire space ecosystem throughout the mission lifecycle. York is purpose built to address evolving national security space challenges and to adapt to the ongoing shift in the U.S. government’s mission needs and procurement processes.
About Rwanda Space Agency:
Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) was established in 2020 with the mission to develop Rwanda’s space sector towards socio-economic development, using space-based technologies and applications. RSA’s mandate is to coordinate all space activities in the country, to develop a globally competitive space ecosystem, as well as to foster entrepreneurial and industrial development. RSA is keen to partner with industry leaders, research and innovation institutions and create strong cooperation at a regional and international level. To learn more, visit space.gov.rw.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and we intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by, the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “emerging,” “expand,” “expect,” “feasibility,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “potential,” “should,” “will,” “would,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. In particular, statements about trends in commercial and government customer demand for specific technologies or mission types, and our expectations, beliefs, plans, strategies, objectives, prospects, assumptions, or future events or performance contained in this press release are forward-looking statements.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements include: significant competition in the global space and satellite market; our failure to establish and maintain important relationships with government agencies and prime contractors; the emerging and shifting nature of the market for spacecraft platforms and its failure to achieve the growth potential we expect; and the other factors set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date stated, or if no date is stated, as of the date of this press release. We undertake no intent or obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements made in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260929307596/en/
Media Contact:
Dan Carey
Brand Director, ATLAS Space Operations
[email protected]
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