York Space Systems clears design review for Space Force Tetra 3, 4 satellites
York Space Systems
York Space Systems cleared design review to build its first GEO spacecraft for the Space Force's Tetra 3 and Tetra 4 missions.
what happened
York Space Systems said it cleared a delta critical design review as prime contractor for the U.S. Space Force's Tetra 3 and Tetra 4 missions, nicknamed "Nemesis" internally, and will now build the spacecraft for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026, per the company's release (Business Wire, via StockTitan) and Via Satellite and SpaceNews. It is York's first integration of a satellite bound for geostationary orbit and its ninth unique national-defense mission set; the spacecraft carries a long-wave infrared camera, a LiDAR sensor rated to range objects at 20 kilometers, and a GEO-qualified GPS side-lobe receiver, and required a late-stage propulsion-system design change with no structural, thermal or power impact, per York. The Tetra missions will perform in-orbit threat characterization, independent range data collection, small-satellite technology risk reduction and experimental payload hosting, per Via Satellite.
why it matters
The award extends York's smallsat manufacturing business into GEO, a higher-value, harder-to-win orbital regime historically dominated by larger prime contractors, as the Space Force keeps buying space domain awareness capability from newer entrants rather than only the incumbents.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- York Space Systems
- Category
- contract
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-10-05
- Published
- 2026-10-06 00:38 UTC