ATLAS Space Operations Completes Rapid Onboarding of Critical TROPICS Spacecraft
01 Agosto 2024 - 12:01AM
Business Wire
In May of 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) predicted an 85% likelihood of above-normal
activity for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. This marked
the fifth consecutive year with an above-normal prediction and, if
proven accurate, would make 2024 the eighth year in the last decade
to record above-normal activity. With the apparent increase in the
destructive power of these storms, timely and detailed tropical
cyclone data may be more important than ever.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT
LL) is leading the NASA Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation
structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats’
(TROPICS) mission to provide NASA, NOAA, and other government
agencies and commercial partners with rapid refresh microwave
sounding observations, delivering improved resolution, configurable
coverage, flexibility, reliability, and extremely low-cost launch
access compared to other space-based storm-sensing technology.
The data TROPICS provides is vital to weather forecasters, so
when Lincoln Laboratory contacted ATLAS Space Operations in June to
establish support at its Dubai ground station, the ATLAS team
responded with the utmost urgency.
Within four weeks of receiving MIT LL’s purchase order, ATLAS
had completed spacecraft integration and TROPICS was declared
operational on ATLAS’ Global Federated Network—a process that
typically takes ground segment providers several months or more to
perform.
A streamlined, best-in-class customer onboarding experience is
among the stated benefits of ATLAS Ground Software as a Service™
model. Even so, the ATLAS team was quick to credit the TROPICS
spacecraft operations team for their collaboration in making the
expedited integration possible.
“There are few missions in space with such immediate and
concrete benefits as severe weather monitoring,” says ATLAS CEO
John Williams. “Simply put, data from Lincoln Laboratory’s TROPICS
mission saves lives. ATLAS is honored to quickly, securely, and
reliably deliver that data to their team.”
The four-satellite TROPICS mission saw its final two satellites
launch on May 26, 2023 and has since been recognized as a finalist
for SpaceNews’ Civil Space Achievement of the Year.
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 the World Teleport Association. Additionally, ATLAS
was highlighted in the CIO Review: Telecom Edition as Company of
the Year (2023) as well as one of the 10 Most Promising
Technologies. Lastly, Aerospace & Defense Review acknowledged
ATLAS as one of the Top Satellite Solutions Providers. ATLAS
combines the Freedom™ Software Platform and its global antenna
network to achieve its mission of securing space access anytime,
anywhere. To learn more, visit atlasspace.com.
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Dan Carey Marketing Director, ATLAS Space Operations +1 (402)
314-9913 dcarey@atlasspace.com