U.S. military satellites built by York Space demonstrate optical communications in orbit | Space

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — U.S. military satellites built by York Space Systems have successfully exchanged data in orbit using Tesat-Spacecom optical communications terminals, marking a milestone in the development of a new space-based communications network. The satellites are part of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) experimental network in low Earth orbit.

“I’m excited to report that over the weekend, York was able to get optical communications networking on their satellites,” SDA Director Derek Tournear said Sept. 16 during the Air, Space & Cyber Conference. 

York is the second satellite provider for SDA to demonstrate in-space communications using Tesat terminals, following a previous demonstration by SpaceX. 

York’s satellites are a component of SDA’s Transport Layer Tranche 0, while SpaceX’s satellites contribute to SDA’s Tracking Layer Tranche 0. Manufacturers building satellites for the SDA are required to use optical terminals that meet military standards, ensuring compliance with the agency’s specifications. 

Other optical terminal providers, such as CACI and Mynaric, have had their terminals certified as compliant but have yet to demonstrate in-orbit communications. 

“So now we have both a set of transport satellites and a set of tracking satellites that are doing optical connectivity and networking,” Tournear…