DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 25, 2025--
York Space Systems (York), a defense technology company transforming how the United States builds and operates space-based capabilities, today announced the completion and shipment of its final spacecraft to the launch site for the upcoming Tranche 1 Transport Layer launch. A total of 21 York-built satellites—comprising the full payload of the launch vehicle—will lift off by the end of this summer, marking the on-orbit debut of the first generation of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) directly supporting warfighters in the field.
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All 21 spacecraft were manufactured and delivered at scale from York’s production facilities, underscoring the company’s ability to produce highly capable national security satellites with speed, precision, and consistency. This milestone demonstrates the transition from bespoke legacy architectures to a scalable industrial model designed to meet modern threats head-on.
“This launch marks the operational beginning of a new era in national security space, one defined by responsiveness, capacity, and real-world performance,” said Melanie Preisser, VP and GM of York. “York is proud to be the first to deliver and launch spacecraft for Tranche 1, helping bring SDA’s vision to life with highly capable systems built at unmatched production rates. This is how the future of military space gets fielded.”
The Tranche 1 mission represents a historic pivot from experimentation to enduring capability. SDA’s low-Earth orbit constellation is designed to provide secure, resilient communications and data transport for U.S. and allied warfighters, at a fraction of the cost and time of traditional defense prime contractors.
“Our satellites are built, delivered, and ready for launch, now all that’s left is integration with the rocket,” added Preisser. “Once deployed, these systems will provide on-orbit Link 16 connectivity to the warfighter.”
This launch builds on a year of rapid and measurable progress for York. In the past few months alone, the company successfully launched its Dragoon mission and then followed just weeks later with the BARD mission, demonstrating next-generation communications capabilities for NASA. With Tranche 1, York continues to accelerate the timeline from customer request to delivery on orbit, demonstrating what can be accomplished when speed and capability are demanded by the government customer and built into the very foundation of the performing prime.
York’s proven ability to deliver highly capable spacecraft at scale and on compressed timelines positions the company as a leading contender to serve as an integrated prime provider for the U.S. Space Force’s defense programs. With a demonstrated track record in mass production, rapid deployment, and seamless integration of space and ground systems, York offers the scale, technical depth, and operational readiness needed to execute on the program’s ambitious vision for a fully integrated, resilient national security space architecture.
About York Space Systems
York Space Systems is a defense technology company transforming how the United States builds and operates space-based capabilities. As the leading provider of proliferated warfighter space solutions, York routinely delivers fully integrated, mission-ready systems, combining high-performance spacecraft, software-defined operations, and ground-based autonomy, at unmatched speed and value.
With a foundation in high-rate manufacturing and systems-level integration, York is driving the convergence of hardware, software, and mission autonomy to redefine how the U.S. executes national defense from space. By enabling real-time intelligence and resilient, scalable infrastructure, York empowers a smarter, faster, and more adaptive defense posture. Learn more at http://www.YorkSpaceSystems.com.
Four of 21 satellites manufactured by York Space Systems for Space Development Agency's upcoming Tranche 1 Transport Layer launch.
