Atlas Space Operations antenna in Utqiagvik, Alaska.  Photo: Business Wire

Satellite developer and operator York Space Systems has agreed to acquire Atlas Space Operations, adding a global provider of satellite communications ground infrastructure that together York believes improve its operations and provide customers better solutions.

York announced the acquisition on Friday, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Atlas Space Operations, which is based in Traverse City, Michigan, owns a global network of ground antennas that would give Denver-based York a comprehensive capability ranging from developing, building and operating satellites to managing the data connections with ground infrastructure. Customers pay Atlas to provide and manage ground networks as a service.

The company can also integrate third party antennas with their network, manage it with software, providing customers access to a larger network of ground infrastructure to downlink data. Atlas says it has more than 50 antennas deployed in over 20 countries, more than 50 mission partners, more than 40 antenna partners, and supports over 200 spacecraft.

“Atlas has built one of the most sophisticated and secure ground communications platforms in the industry,” York CEO Dirk Wallinger said in a statement. “This acquisition will enhance York’s ability to deliver mission-ready systems on the timelines our customers demand while continuing to support the broader space ecosystem with best-in-class ground solutions.”

The two companies have worked together for the past seven or eight years and York considers them “an amazing partner,” Wallinger told Defense Daily in an interview. Ground infrastructure is crucial to satellite operations and, as York puts more satellites in orbit, having Atlas on board will enable a tighter partnership that will lead to more efficiencies and better operations, he said.

One key efficiency is if an antenna goes off line for some reason the companies will have better automated processes to alert about the anomaly and “autonomously” provide the best rerouting option to maintain communications, Wallinger said.

“It just made sense to have a partner who we can work to automate, do as much, you know, kind of cloud processing as possible, and to optimize our systems,” he said. “And so, it just seemed like the right time, we have strong demand here. We can make the investments on capabilities right now and provide our customers a much better complete solution going forward.”

Adding the Atlas technology and infrastructure will have an important role in the Trump administration’s Golden Dome homeland missile defense effort, York said. Satellites will have a role to play prior to adversarial missile launches, while missiles are airborne, and following terminal engagements, which is “a network problem” that requires different sensors and systems that “have never talked to one another, talk to one another” and “do it at the speed of light,” Wallinger said.

The combination of York and Atlas will “connect ground and flight as kind of one network solution together [that] is going to help solve that problem,” he said. In the not too distant future, Wallinger also said the ground network will be enhanced, possibly with laser capabilities, to link to air, land and sea assets.

Atlas has a variety of commercial and government customers, including the U.S. Combatant Commands. York is building and operating satellites for the communications layer of the Space Development Agency’s missile warning and tracking program, and for other customers that include the Space Force and its own solutions offerings.

Earlier this week, Atlas added a new ground antenna in Mwulire, Rwanda, to support NOAA’s COSMIC-2 satellite.

York on July 10 submitted its pending acquisition to the Federal Communications Commission for regulatory review. The FCC has 90 days to complete the review. There are no showstoppers to concluding the deal, Wallinger said.

Once the transaction is completed, Atlas will continue to operate as an independent company under its existing brand.

This story was first published by Defense Daily