York Space Systems earlier this month completed the initial commissioning of the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) payload aboard the BARD mission, marking a significant step forward in validating the mission’s concept of operations (ConOps) and advancing next-generation, wideband space communications capabilities for NASA.

During a precisely scheduled continuous wave pass, York’s mission operations team achieved first-contact telemetry download with outstanding results. Data returned with no anomalies, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) confirmed real-time acquisition of signal with an exceptionally strong carrier-to-noise ratio, and a clean loss of signal was observed at the conclusion of the pass—together confirming seamless end-to-end performance.

Telemetry highlights confirmed that every system performed exactly as designed. Signal strength matched predictions, planned operations ran without error, and the amplifier, synchronization, and Doppler correction all worked seamlessly. Temperatures and power levels stayed well within safe limits, and no commands were rejected or fault flagged. Together, these results confirm the spacecraft’s health and validate the mission’s meticulous planning and execution.

This achievement validates the full ConOps and establishes a strong operational foundation for the mission’s next phase. York will now move into rigorous verification of pointing performance to enable high-fidelity data transfers with government and commercial networks in geostationary orbit, beginning with TDRS.

Launched in July of 2025, BARD was procured as a commercial mission from York and developed in collaboration with NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The mission will provide a flight demonstration of the APL-designed and built PExT payload, an advanced communications payload designed to enable real-time interoperability between government and commercial satellite relay networks – a first-of-its-kind capability supporting NASA’s shift toward a commercial communications architecture.

This milestone demonstrates not only the robustness of our integrated systems, but also the precision and expertise of our operations team,” said Michael Lajczok, CTO at York. “From spacecraft maneuvering to payload execution, every component of the mission is performing exactly as designed. It’s a strong validation of our ability to deliver on complex, high-performance communications missions for government and commercial customers.”