WASHINGTON — York Space Systems, a rising player in satellite manufacturing, is making a strategic move to expand beyond hardware production into satellite-based services for the U.S. government. The Denver-based company on Feb. 13 announced a new commercial services program aimed at delivering “critical national security capabilities as a service.”
With the capacity to manufacture up to 1,000 satellite buses annually, York has been supplying hardware to government agencies, including the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA). Now the company is looking to move further up the value chain, offering fully integrated satellites and services such as rendezvous and proximity operations, space domain awareness, communications and Earth observation.
York said these services will be offered on a commercial contract basis with fixed pricing — a model that the company hopes will differentiate it from traditional defense contractors.
“We’re now delivering fully operational, commercially hardened solutions,” said Dirk Wallinger, CEO of York Space Systems. By offering these capabilities through a commercial services model, he said, government customers can reduce acquisition timelines and costs.
In the satellite services market, York would compete against established industry giants that have dominated the sector. The company made waves by securing SDA contracts over larger defense manufacturers, and it now hopes to repeat that success by offering competitively priced services.
While the company has not disclosed specific industry partners for the initiative, a spokesperson said York will leverage its existing relationships with payload suppliers. “We have numerous payload suppliers that we have worked with across our mission sets. Our contracts remain in place with them all to quickly add orders to our contracts to support this program,” the spokesperson said.
The company is pitching its commercial services as a means of streamlining government procurement. “Instead of navigating a five-year acquisition process, and waiting years for custom-built satellites, customers can immediately buy complete, mission-ready space solutions as a commercial service,” the spokesperson added.
