York launches BARD satellite to demonstrate next-gen communications for NASA

Questions and answers: 

• What is the purpose of York Space Systems’ BARD mission? BARD is a commercial satellite mission developed with NASA and Johns Hopkins APL to demonstrate the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT), enabling real-time interoperability between government and commercial satellite relay networks.
• How does the BARD mission support NASA’s communications architecture? The mission supports NASA’s transition to a commercial communications infrastructure by testing new payload technology designed to integrate different satellite relay networks.

DENVER - York Space Systems in Denver announced the successful launch of its BARD mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking the second of five missions the company plans to execute in 2025.

The BARD satellite, developed as a commercial mission in coordination with NASA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), is intended to demonstrate the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) - a new communications payload designed to enable real-time interoperability between government and commercial satellite relay networks. The demonstration supports NASA’s transition toward a more commercially driven space communications infrastructure.

According to York, initial contact with the spacecraft was successful on the first attempt, and all onboard systems were reported healthy and operating as intended. The mission is part of a broader collaboration between York and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program.

Cross-network comms

PExT’s interoperability focus aims to help streamline cross-network communications between legacy government systems and newer commercial constellations, addressing a growing need for flexible, resilient space communications architectures. The BARD launch follows the company’s recent deployment of the Dragoon mission in June. York said it is currently supporting multiple customers across the defense and commercial sectors and expects to execute three additional missions before the end of the year.

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“The success of BARD reinforces York’s commitment to delivering impactful missions with speed, resilience, and performance,” said Melanie Preisser, general manager and executive vice president at York. “From Dragoon to BARD, we’re delivering complete space missions that meet the most urgent operational needs of our customers.”

NASA’s continued engagement with commercial satellite providers like York reflects a strategic shift in how U.S. space infrastructure is procured and operated, particularly in areas such as communications, data relay, and orbital support services.

York’s end-to-end satellite services include design, manufacturing, integration, launch, and operations support. The company says it currently has hundreds of satellites in production and maintains a growing on-orbit fleet serving national security, civil, and commercial users.