Tetra 3 and 4 missions clear Delta CDR; on track for Q4 spacecraft delivery

York Space Systems, a leading, US-based national defense and commercial prime providing a comprehensive suite of mission-enabling solutions, is expanding its prime integration portfolio into Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) with the U.S. Space Force’s Tetra 3 and 4 missions (referred to by York as Nemesis), a Resident Space Object (RSO) and Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) demonstration supporting Space Domain Awareness (SDA) mission sets. York is prime contractor on Tetra 3 and 4, delivering a fully integrated sensor suite to a national security customer the company has not previously supported in this orbital regime. The missions have cleared their Delta Critical Design Review (dCDR), the customer’s formal sign-off to proceed to build, and remain on track for spacecraft delivery in the fourth quarter of this year.

Nemesis extends York’s prime integration model into GEO in support of SDA, adding a ninth unique mission set to the company’s broader portfolio of national defense capabilities. Across its portfolio, York supports missions ranging from assured communications and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to tactical warfighter support.

“Nemesis shows York can prime, integrate, and deliver against any mission our customers put in front of us, at any orbit,” said Michael Lajczok, CTO of York. “That kind of range is what the national security community is asking from industry, and it’s where the market is moving.”

As prime contractor, York owns the full scope of spacecraft design, sensor integration, and mission execution. Under Tetra 3 and 4, York is integrating a full suite of mission sensors and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) to execute realistic on-orbit threat presentation, independent range data collection, small satellite technology risk reduction, and experimental payload hosting. Integrated payloads include a Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) camera, a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor capable of ranging resident space objects at 20 kilometers, and a GEO-qualified Global Positioning System (GPS) Side Lobe Receiver.

The dCDR covered the addition of a new propulsion system required for full mission capability. York accommodated it under an accelerated schedule with no structural, thermal, or power impacts to the space vehicle, no impact to launch vehicle integration, and only minor harness and flight software updates.

“Absorbing a late-stage design change of this scope without cascading impacts is a defining requirement for prime integrators supporting national security missions,” said Marc Cordova, VP of Programs at York. “Folding a new propulsion system into the baseline and clearing delta CDR on an accelerated schedule is a direct reflection of how York is architected to execute.”

Tetra 3 and 4 will demonstrate capabilities that map directly to the priorities driving next-generation national security space architectures: rapid delivery, prime-level integration of complex sensor suites, and mission execution across orbital regimes. The Department of War (DoW) has signaled increased interest in SDA capabilities extending beyond low earth orbit (LEO) into medium earth orbit (MEO) and GEO. In that environment, the ability to field prime-integrated small satellite missions on accelerated timelines is becoming a defining requirement for industry partners and Tetra 3 and 4 positions York among the small number of providers demonstrating that capability at the prime level today, aligned with the SDA-focused programs shaping the DoW’s next-generation architecture priorities.