CTO & CIO, ATLAS Space Operations
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen contracts for ground software engineering misallocated—won by companies whose primary, and often only, domain expertise is in Command and Control (C2) or Mission Management. Across vast government contracts and burgeoning commercial ventures, a clear, unmistakable signal screams that the space industry has an existential problem in its understanding and scoping of these technical issues. Failure to correct this systemic flaw is a guarantee of perpetual financial drain, engineering insolvency, and ultimately, a betrayal of the industry’s potential.
First, let’s establish an undeniable truth: Satellite Operations is not the same as Ground Systems Software. Yes, historically, “Ground Systems” was a monolithic term encompassing everything from Monitoring and Control (M&C) to Payload Data Processing. But that overly broad scope is the root of the crisis. Expertise in C2 and ground station integration does not confer knowledge of the hard problems that lie in building and accessing fault-tolerant, high-availability data networks.
Access… that is the critical choke point. C2 and Mission Management are focused on the satellite’s daily health. But they are entirely dependent on the underlying access to high-quality data pipes. This is akin to confusing a smart home’s user app with the underlying electrical grid. Building and maintaining each are fundamentally different problem sets that demand different, highly specific domain knowledge.
Let’s put this in software design terms—the language of scalable engineering. Great software has a strong separation of concerns. Each module must do one thing, and one thing only. When a single component is overloaded with responsibilities, it becomes overly complex, bloated, and unmaintainable. The result is fragile, expensive software that is impossible to sustain.
Right now, ground software suffers from catastrophic separation of concerns, and the entire SATCOM ecosystem is poised to pay the price. If a satellite operator chooses one C2 provider, that provider will inevitably have to become a secondary expert in ground station integration, forcing them to maintain those interfaces and unify all vendors under a single, complex common layer. This costly, duplicative integration is repeated by nearly every C2 provider across the industry. Satellite operators are forced to become masters of two distinct, highly technical verticals—satellite operations and ground systems engineering.
The most damaging effect of this structural failure is the exclusion of genuine ground systems domain expertise from the primary decision-making process on large-scale programs. By defaulting to a C2-centric contract, critical architectural decisions are made without the input of the companies whose core business is building and maintaining the utility-grade infrastructure—the ground network, hardware orchestration, data backhaul, and software to tie it together. This knowledge deficit is precisely why the resulting systems are poorly designed, monolithic, and suffer from the catastrophic separation of concerns that guarantees future engineering insolvency and high maintenance costs. Programs will continue to produce fragile, expensive software until a dedicated ground systems company is treated as a necessary, first-tier technical partner.
This is beyond separation of concerns; it’s engineering malpractice. Government and commercial entities must change their views and embrace a modern, clean architecture. The separation is clear: the responsibilities on the left represent a complex, utility-grade software vertical—demanding expertise in distributed systems, real-time data processing, and large-scale global automation.
To demand that operators be experts in both of these verticals is not only unreasonable, it is a recipe for stagnation. The list above isn’t just a breakdown of tasks; it is a blueprint for necessary separation. To fix the crisis, we must move from a monolithic, tangled dependency to a clean, decoupled architecture. We need to treat Ground Systems not as a subordinate feature of C2, but as the utility-grade infrastructure it is—agnostic, scalable, and robust.
When we respect this separation of concerns, the architecture simplifies. The “Ground” handles the physics and the pipes; the “Mission” handles the logic and the scheduling. The diagram below illustrates this ideal state: a clean interface where the “electrical grid” doesn’t care which “smart home app” you plug into it.
This brings us to the future, and the existential threat of inaction. What happens when technologies like Space Relay and Optical links inevitably consume a large portion of SATCOM? You will be forced to return to the original C2 provider for a new, custom solution—over and over again—as technology inexorably evolves. This business model is a continuous drain, forcing the industry to spend money on redundant complexity and risk. In doing so, we prevent our experts from focusing on the core problem: advancing satellite operations.
The alternative is simple. Let ground systems experts roll up the entirety of all ground infrastructure into a unified interface, including a UI, that is built on modern smart principles of software development. Don’t settle for an integration to a ground system. Insist on better analytics and expertise to ensure your “plumbing” is functional, fault tolerant, and ready for production. This can only be done through a “smart” software layer rather than a dumb pipe.
The opportunity is now. When ground systems are properly recognized as the utility-grade infrastructure responsible for ensuring the operational link, it allows Mission Software (C2) to truly shine by focusing on its core mission: advancing satellite operations. We can unlock exponentially more potential for the entire SATCOM ecosystem and secure a sustainable path forward. To achieve this, decision-makers must demand a clean architecture: insist that dedicated ground systems experts are first-tier technical partners, refuse to accept monolithic, C2-centric solutions, and leave each complex problem to the true domain experts. Stop accepting the technical debt and start building the scalable future of space operations.
Finnish NewSpace company NorthBase and ATLAS Space Operations have partnered to enhance satellite ground station services in Finnish Lapland. The new NorthBase Muonio site joins the ATLAS Freedom network, improving global antenna access and providing significant coverage capabilities, especially with the 3.9 meter S/X band antenna in a secure location.
ATLAS Space Operations, a leading GSaaS provider for satellite communications, is to be acquired by York Space Systems, marking a significant milestone for its founders and investors. The acquisition, pending FCC approval, aims to enhance growth, job creation, and innovation within the Traverse City community while maintaining ATLAS’s operations and brand.
York Space Systems, a defense technology company transforming how the United States builds and operates space-based capabilities, today announced that its parent company has agreed to acquire ATLAS Space Operations, a pioneer in Ground Software as a Service (GSaaS) for satellite communications. The move brings York a powerful, software-led ground architecture that simplifies operations, removes integration barriers, and enhances space-to-ground resilience—accelerating York’s ability to deliver secure, mission-ready space systems at unmatched speed and value.
ATLAS Space Operations announced the activation of a new ground station antenna in Mwulire, Rwanda, enhancing data collection for NOAA’s COSMIC-2 mission. This strategic location boosts the network’s efficiency, allowing for rapid atmospheric and space weather data delivery. ATLAS’s commitment to reliability is demonstrated with over 3,000 satellite contacts monthly.
