ATLAS Space Operations Expands Ground Station Network with New Antenna in Rwanda
ATLAS Space Operations, a leading provider of Ground Station as a Service, has announced the activation of its latest antenna in Rwanda, marking a strategic expansion of its global ground network. This development significantly enhances the ability of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate-2 (COSMIC-2) to deliver critical data to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in support of global weather forecasting and space weather monitoring. COSMIC-2 comprises six remote-sensing small satellites that form a coordinated network, continuously orbiting the Earth to collect atmospheric data essential for weather prediction, space weather observation, and climate research.
The Rwanda ground station receives data from the six COSMIC-2 satellites, which continuously monitor the Earth’s atmosphere and ionosphere using radio occultation techniques. The data gathered by these satellites play a critical role in enabling accurate weather and space weather forecasting. Given the dynamic nature of atmospheric and ionospheric conditions, timely data delivery to NOAA is essential. To meet this need, ATLAS enforces a strict requirement to transmit data from its ground stations to NOAA in under 60 seconds.
Enhancing Ground Station Coverage
The new site in Rwanda significantly boosts capacity to the ATLAS ground station network, complementing existing ground stations in Ghana and Tahiti that also support the COSMIC-2 mission. Rwanda’s geographic position offers optimal visibility and a high number of satellite passes with the COSMIC-2 constellation, making it a strategically valuable location for data acquisition. The site’s addition was initiated at NOAA’s request and made possible through ATLAS’s strong partnership with the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA).
Additionally, this comes after RSA and ATLAS signed a strategic partnership in 2023 to utilise Rwanda’s teleport infrastructure, a move that is now a reality.
“The activation of our new antenna in Rwanda is a testament to the strength of our partnership with the Rwanda Space Agency and commitment to growing our network to serve our customers best,” said Corey Geer, Chief Executive Officer at ATLAS Space Operations. “This strategic addition significantly enhances our ability to deliver critical COSMIC-2 data, ensuring that NOAA receives the vital information they need for accurate and timely atmospheric and ionospheric monitoring.”
In addition, ATLAS will utilise Rwanda’s 9.3-metre antenna, located in Mwulire and operating in the S and X bands. This installation complements the company’s existing site in Sunyani, Ghana, which features a 3-metre antenna operating in the S band. Together, these two locations form ATLAS’s only enterprise ground station sites on the African continent.
Furthermore, ATLAS currently manages over 3,000 satellite contacts per month across its global network of ground stations. Between July 2019 and 31 May 2025, the company successfully handled 156,653 contacts from NOAA satellites, maintaining a ground station availability rate of 99.36%. During this period, data delivery averaged under 40 seconds per contact, underscoring ATLAS’s consistent commitment to operational efficiency and reliability.