York Space Systems Bard Mission Set for Launch to Test Advanced Communications for NASA

York Space Systems Bard Mission Set for Launch to Test Advanced Communications for NASA
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 15, 2025

York Space Systems (York), the Denver-based aerospace firm specializing in rapid mission deployment, has confirmed its Bard mission is ready for launch. The mission will test the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT), a cutting-edge communications system developed in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program. This terminal is designed to provide real-time interoperability across government and commercial satellite relay networks, a critical capability as NASA shifts toward a more commercially driven communications architecture.

Bard is one of five missions York plans to launch this year, reinforcing its leadership in providing spacecraft for government, civil, and commercial customers. The mission reflects York's expanding role as a key enabler of national space infrastructure, offering rapid, scalable solutions for both operational systems and experimental technologies.

The Bard mission is built on York's proven spacecraft platform and will demonstrate the power of wideband polylingual terminals. These systems utilize software-defined radios capable of dynamically switching across multiple frequency bands, protocols, and relay networks.

The mission's on-orbit demonstration phase is set to conclude in April 2026, aiming to validate seamless communication with NASA's legacy Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS), various commercial networks, and direct-to-Earth links. This capability marks a crucial step in NASA's transition to commercial relay services, projected to be fully operational by 2031.

"Bard is yet another proof point that York continues to deliver a full spectrum of missions and customers-from high-performance constellations to critical pathfinder demonstrations," said Melanie Preisser, GM and Executive VP of York. "This is just another example of how York has become the provider of choice for deploying next-generation capabilities with the speed, scale, and operational readiness that customers demand."

The Bard mission also highlights York's innovative approach to mission operations. The spacecraft will be managed through the company's secure, cloud-based Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), demonstrating the ability to support real-time command and control for multiple missions from a single, autonomous infrastructure.