Federated Ground Network

The Federated Ground Network is ATLAS Space Operations’ global antenna infrastructure service: a network-of-networks combining ATLAS-owned ground stations with partner-operated sites so that satellite operators can reach space through any participating antenna using a single integration with the Freedom platform, rather than negotiating and integrating with each ground station operator individually.

The network spans more than 50 antennas across 30+ ground stations in over 20 countries, including sites such as Barrow, Alaska; a newly announced station in American Samoa (in partnership with the Port Administration of American Samoa); and an antenna in Rwanda supporting the COSMIC-2 mission. Ground hardware includes Orbit Communication Systems Gaia-100 multi-band ground antenna systems, which cover configurations from L-band to K-band under a protective radome for continuous, weather-independent operation.

Coverage spans S-band, X-band, Ka-band and UHF frequencies and supports LEO, MEO and GEO missions. Freedom performs TM/TC frame translation across the differing baseband equipment at each site, so customers see a consistent API and telemetry/command stream regardless of which physical antenna handles a given pass. Real-time metrics monitoring and site-status visibility let operators track network health and antenna availability transparently. The Federated Ground Network underpins ATLAS’s Federal, Civil, and Commercial Space offerings as well as Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) mission support, including custody tracking and antenna scheduling during critical early-orbit windows.