The new antenna entered service on September 18, 2026, allowing the Mwulire teleport in Rwamagana District to support two satellite contacts simultaneously, up from one previously.

The antenna is owned by ATLAS and hosted at the Rwanda Space Agency’s Mwulire facility under an antenna-hosting agreement. It operates under a Ground Station as a Service (GSaaS) model, in which ATLAS uses space at the Rwanda facility while managing the antenna and providing ground communication services to satellite operators.

The antennas are used to establish communication links with satellites, receiving data transmitted from spacecraft to the ground station. The new antenna receives S-band downlinks and can later be upgraded to support X-band reception.

The development expands the capacity available to satellite missions requiring coverage near the equator.

Mwulire is located about two degrees south of the equator at an altitude of 1,668 metres. Its location gives the ground station visibility of low-inclination satellites that may be difficult to reach from stations at higher latitudes, while also creating additional contact opportunities for satellites in mid-inclination orbits.

The new antenna is a 3.7-metre receive-only parabolic reflector. It receives S-band signals in the 2200 to 2300 MHz range and supports both left- and right-hand circular polarization.

ATLAS said the antenna can be scheduled through its Freedom platform, meaning existing customers using the company’s global network can book contacts at Mwulire without having to build or integrate new infrastructure.

“What customers count on is reliable contacts, and this second antenna in Mwulire gives them more of that,” ATLAS Chief Executive Officer Kristin Rice said.

Rice said the expansion reflects the company’s partnership with the Rwanda Space Agency and growing demand for equatorial satellite coverage.

The new antenna is the second installed at Mwulire under the partnership between ATLAS and the Rwanda Space Agency. The first antenna, which entered service in July 2025, is owned by Rwanda.

Rwanda Space Agency Chief Executive Officer Gaspard Twagirayezu highlighted that the new installation strengthens the country’s ground infrastructure and increases 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,” Twagirayezu said.

ATLAS completed the new antenna’s design in early 2026 before shipping it in May, installing it in August and commissioning it in September. During commissioning, the antenna completed more than 350 scheduled test contacts with a 100 percent completion rate and no recorded error seconds.

ATLAS, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of York Space Systems in 2025, operates a global network of more than 50 antennas across 20 countries through its Freedom ground software platform.

The expansion adds capacity to Rwanda’s emerging space infrastructure as the country seeks to develop services that support satellite communications, mission control and other space-related activities.