The leader of the US Space Operations Command is hopeful that the Space Force can achieve its goal of delivering a command-and-control platform that will allow operators to gain a common view of the domain by the end of next year.
The software for that basic capability, known as the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System, or ATLAS, is being developed by L3Harris and is in the final stages of testing.
Lt. Gen. David Miller, who leads Space Operations Command, told reporters that while he knows delivering that system is a “major step forward,” having a single platform that units can use to train, plan and fighting is at the top of his priority. list you must have.
“That’s where I would like to be in 2025,” he told reporters at the Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Florida, earlier this month. “I want to be done with it, I’ll be honest with you. I’m impatient.”
ATLAS will provide the foundational software for a broader modernization program known as Space Command and Control. The analytics and data processing capabilities will allow the Space Force to decommission its 1970s Space Defense Operations Center known as SPADOC. The system manages the Space Force’s fleet of radars and sensors that track objects in space.
Its replacement will be able to merge data from a range of systems, giving operators a more holistic understanding of what’s happening in space.
The operational transition between the two systems was scheduled to occur in 2022, but has been largely postponed due to software integration challenges between L3Harris and Space Systems Command, which serves as the primary integrator for the program.
Charles Clarkson, vice president and general manager of space superiority and imaging at L3Harris, told Defense News that the government-industry team has “found a rhythm” over the past 18 months. L3Harris delivered 95% of the software needed for ATLAS in November and expects to complete the remainder in the first quarter of next year.
“Right now we are focused on finalizing the software, and as we get closer to reality, we are getting more and more involvement from the operating community,” he said in an interview. “Then we get more control, which we certainly welcome, so that we can detect and address bugs early. And everything is going well.”
Once testing is complete and the minimum viable ATLAS product is delivered, the program will go through a pilot phase, which should be completed next year.
Clarkson said that now that testing is largely complete and operators are starting to get their hands on the system, the remaining transition risks are less technical and more about helping users move to a new platform.
“It gets people familiar with it and trained on it,” he said. “They will do their work differently than before. And so one of the big focuses that we have over the next two quarters is the training piece.
Meanwhile, Miller said his team at Space Operations Command has been working to ensure that when ATLAS is ready, they will have a suite of space domain awareness applications ready to integrate into the platform. Working with the intelligence community, commercial companies and other offices within the Space Force, the command is experimenting with potential tools derived from existing software.
He wouldn’t share details about the applications, but expects to be able to submit some in the coming year.
“What I’m saying is that I’m interested in staying aware of anything in orbit that poses a risk to operations, safety, proximity to operations or allows you to track potential threats,” Miller said.
