L3Harris Technologies’ Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System, or ATLAS, has achieved operational status.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Operations Command said Tuesday that ATLAS underwent a comprehensive assessment that tested the system’s capabilities, performance and operational readiness.
“The ATLAS team remains dedicated to continuous improvement, ensuring that the software is continuously evolved to meet emerging gaps in step with the evolution of space capabilities,” commented Shannon Pallone, program executive officer for battle management command, control and communications at SSC. “Achieving operational acceptance is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our teams and mission partners who worked together to deliver critical capabilities that advance USSF’s Space Domain Awareness mission.”
The system is meant to replace the Space Force’s Space Defense Operations Center, or SPADOC, which has been monitoring satellites, spacecraft and dangerous space junk since the ‘80s.
A spokesperson for the Space Operations Command told Breaking Defense that the Space Force has no timeline for SPADOC’s retirement, but Pallone noted that, when it happens, it will be a “major coup.”
What Is ATLAS?
In 2018, L3Harris received an initial contract valued at $53 million for ATLAS, which is intended to deliver enhanced situational awareness and decision-making capabilities for the increasingly complex space domain.
The system combines space domain awareness, command and control, intelligence, operational and system readiness-relevant data to enable warfighters to counter anti-satellite threats.
“The Space Force requires timely, accurate and relevant information to avoid operational surprise, and ATLAS meets this demand by providing essential and actionable space domain awareness,” Ed Zoiss, president of space and airborne systems at L3Harris, said in a company press release.
