COLORADO SPRINGS — York Space Systems, a Denver-based satellite manufacturer, announced plans April 18 to work with Swiss satellite and rocket component supplier Ruag Space on payload adapters for its satellites.
“We’ve worked with York on a payload adapter for a small satellite mission,” Magnus Engström, Ruag head of marketing sales, told SpaceNews at the 34th Space Symposium here. “This is an off-the-shelf commodity we are supplying for the small launch industry.”
Ruag plans to supply the new payload adapter for York’s Harbinger Mission scheduled to launch later this year. Harbinger is designed to demonstrate York’s S-Class platform, a three-axis stabilized spacecraft for payloads of 85 kilograms or less.
“Ruag is very well respected in the aerospace community and to have a company with such an extensive track record of success select York Space Systems as a partner, really validates the hard work of our team,” Dirk Wallinger, York Space Systems chief executive, said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to working together on the Harbinger Mission this fall, as well as using Ruag’s separation systems for many future missions to come.”
The new payload adapter will enable satellite operators to quickly mate spacecraft with launch vehicles, Engström said.
“In the past, separation systems typically had to be installed at the launch site and it was a laborious process,” Engström said. “It doesn’t work for small launchers. It doesn’t work for small satellite companies. They want to go fast. This is a product for that market.”
