York Space Systems and ATLAS Space Operations activate new antenna in Mwulire, Rwanda, doubling contact capacity at its Equatorial Ground Station
York Space Systems and ATLAS Space Operations have announced that a new antenna at Rwanda’s teleport in Mwulire entered service on September 18, 2026. This antenna doubles the number of satellite contacts the site can support at one time and further expands equatorial coverage across the ATLAS federated global antenna network.
Mwulire is located about two degrees south of the equator at an altitude of 1,668 meters. This position provides the antenna with visibility of low-inclination satellites that ground stations at higher latitudes cannot see. The location also offers better contact opportunities for missions in mid-inclination orbits. With two antennas now operational, ATLAS is able to manage two simultaneous contacts from Rwanda, increasing network capacity for both existing missions and new clients needing coverage near the equator.
The new antenna is a 3.7-meter receive-only parabolic reflector on a dual-axis AZ/EL pedestal. It receives S-band downlinks from 2200 to 2300 MHz in both left- and right-hand circular polarization, and its feed hardware is S/X-capable, meaning X-band reception can easily be added later without replacing the antenna. This is the first S/X system from M2 Antenna Systems, Inc. to enter service on the ATLAS network.
A new antenna on the ATLAS network is not an integration project for the customer. Freedom handles the scheduling and the site control, so missions already on the network can begin booking contacts in Mwulire through the same API and interface they use today, with nothing to build.
“What customers count on is reliable contacts, and this second antenna in Mwulire gives them more of that. Going from one antenna to two in just over a year says a great deal about the strength of our partnership with the Government of Rwanda, through Rwanda Space Agency (RSA), and about the demand we are seeing for equatorial coverage,” said Kristin Rice, Chief Executive Officer at ATLAS Space Operations.
“The addition of this second antenna at our Mwulire teleport strengthens Rwanda’s ground infrastructure and expands the capacity available to support space missions from Africa. Rwanda’s teleport is open for business and ready to support a growing range of space activities, from antenna hosting to mission control services, and more,” said Gaspard Twagirayezu, Chief Executive Officer, RSA.
RSA hosts the antenna at its Mwulire teleport under an antenna-hosting agreement with ATLAS Space Operations. It is the second antenna installed at the site under that partnership, following the first, which entered service in July 2025.
ATLAS became part of the York Space Systems (NYSE: YSS) family of companies as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2025 and continues to serve customers across the commercial and national security space markets.
“Ground infrastructure is mission-critical, and expanding our global network is essential to delivering the resilient, reliable connectivity our customers require,” said Ryan Frigm, Portfolio Vice President at York. “The new antenna in Rwanda builds on a decade of investment by the ATLAS team and strengthens our ability to support increasingly complex missions around the world.”
ATLAS took the antenna from completed design in early 2026 to shipment in May, installation in August, and service this September. During commissioning, the antenna completed more than 350 scheduled test contacts with a 100% completion rate and no recorded error seconds.
The Freedom platform provides a single API access point to a global network of more than 50 antennas in 20 countries.
