Press Release

York Space Systems and AAC Microtec Announce Agreement to Supply Advanced Avionics for Small Spacecraft Platform

By SpaceRef Editor
August 8, 2016
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York Space Systems and AAC Microtec announced a definitive Agreement for the supply of advanced command and data handling avionics for York’s S-Class small spacecraft platform. The avionics leverage AAC’s unique design approach with low cost and high reliability. Under the agreement, the electronics will be manufactured by York in the United States; enabling broad reach across US Government and commercial markets.

The first flight sets will be aboard York’s Harbinger mission for a US Government customer, launching Q3 2017, and will be integrated across York’s 20+ platforms currently under formal agreements or LOIs planned for production for commercial and Government customers.

“AAC’s design and avionics capabilities are a great fit for our S-Class platform, and our production plans. The products are compact, affordable, and offer an array of interfaces and variety for payload and mission customers, while giving our platforms best-in-class performance. We look forward to developing our great relationship and supporting the successful rollout of our mass production platform with AAC,” says Dirk Wallinger, Chief Executive Officer of York Space Systems.

“AAC Microtec designs world-class avionics meeting demanding on-orbit and deep space performance criteria. York Space demonstrated early on that we could craft a win-win business agreement from our initial meetings at our Mountain View office last November. This effort has established a solid foothold in the US to complement our European and Asian markets.

As a global provider of cost effective fault-tolerant and radiation tolerant systems, AAC Microtec proudly supports the efforts of York Space systems from both our offices in California and in Sweden. We look forward to supporting this rising star in New Space and our mutual growth in the North American space sector” says Michael Carey, President and CEO AAC Microtec North America, Inc.

York’s S-Class platform combines capability, cost, and rapid delivery allowing customers to rethink the way space assets are procured. For both Government and commercial customers, the S-Class platform gives customers the ability to deploy rapidly off-the-shelf and at mass production cost points, while avoiding the three year wait time between concept and flight.

The S-Class platform addresses the responsive and commoditized approach demanded by customers, allowing Payloads and Mission Planners to focus on the important aspects of the mission—the data and the payload. With one-week delivery times on inventory, known interfaces, and unmatched cost points, the S-Class is intended to win the make/buy decision with a Model-T approach

About York Space Systems

York Space Systems is an innovative American aerospace company specializing in small and medium class spacecraft based in Denver, CO. The company is entering the production phase of their S-Class platform, which leverages a proprietary design to reduce the cost of manufacture by an order of magnitude. The S-Class platform is a 3-axis stabilized spacecraft capable of supporting 85kg payloads with up to 100W of Orbit Average Power (OAP), 1,400 W Peak (Standard), or 3,000 W Peak (Enhanced) with one week delivery times on inventory.

Designed for mass manufacture and intended for constellations, the S-Class supports a wide range of missions including earth observation and communication. It is capable of steady state operation in any orbit inclination and orientation without redesign. The platform form factor can leverage existing ride-share opportunities on ESPA, or can be adapted to any of the numerous dedicated small launch vehicles. It is currently under development to significantly reduce launch segment costs. For more information, visit http://www.YorkSpaceSystems.com

About ÅAC Microtec

ÅAC Microtec globally provides high value space solutions and systems for commercial and governmental customers through its partner network and offices in Uppsala, Sweden, and Moffett Field, CA, USA. The company is, today, a core development partner in leading programs to launch new, smaller satellites for the new space market. Based on its advanced position in these programs, ÅAC’s ambition is to further strengthen its position as a strategic supplier for the growing aerospace industry.

www.aacmicrotec.com

ÅAC Sirius avionics products are tailored to meet increasingly demanding requirements on reliability, resilience and low power consumption. Their form factor, mass and dimensions make them attractive for the small satellite market and launch vehicle segments where a reduction in the size and mass of their power and data handling sub-systems are key factors. The capacity for onboard data handling, data storage and data transfer meets the current trend towards more advanced missions in smaller spacecraft.

SpaceRef staff editor.