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 added.
Mesh network is the next step
The next step, Tournear noted, will be integrating communications between York and SpaceX’s satellites to form a fully functional mesh network. This milestone will advance the SDA’s mission to build the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a constellation of small, low-Earth orbiting satellites designed to provide surveillance and communication capabilities for joint military operations.
SDA, an organization under the U.S. Space Force, plans to deploy hundreds of satellites over the next several years. Laser-based optical communication is a key component of this initiative, enabling faster and more secure data transmission between satellites.
While SDA provides oversight, it does not select specific terminal suppliers for its satellites; that decision is left to the prime contractors responsible for building the spacecraft.
One of the certified suppliers, Mynaric, recently disclosed challenges with production and financial performance, but on Sept. 16, the company announced that it is ramping up terminal production and working through previously reported delays.
