York Space Systems begins production of larger LX-CLASS platform

York Space Systems has begun producing its new LX-CLASS spacecraft, a larger and more powerful platform scheduled for delivery in 2022 for a commercial constellation customer. The LX-CLASS leverages over 90 percent reuse of York's flight proven S-CLASS hardware and software design currently in use across ISR, global communications, remote proximity operations, commercial earth observation, and weather missions.

It will feature York's innovative man-out-of-the-loop autonomous operation capability and utilize the same cybersecurity and encryption systems developed for York's multiple military customers who demand the highest level of cyber protection.

With the addition of the LX-CLASS, government and commercial customers now have access to a new, even larger basic platform with enhancement options for a wider range of missions. The LX-CLASS leverages much of the flight proven, on-orbit technology of the S-CLASS, which will also remain in production. Both platforms will offer customers a level of affordability and delivery cadence unrivaled in the sector.

"Leveraging and evolving key subsystems with true flight heritage is fundamental to our spiral development approach across all product lines and a great way to introduce new capabilities for our customers," said Charles Beames, Executive Chairman of York.

"This low-risk approach ensures production schedules and performance our customers can rely on. The addition of the LX-CLASS is just the latest example of York's dedication to always improving our products to deliver even better capabilities year-after-year, similar to what is seen in the automotive and computing industries."

As compared to the S-CLASS, the new LX-CLASS features:

+ 3x the power generation
+ 4x increase in payload battery capacity
+ 200% increase in payload volume
+ 300% increase in payload mass
+ Cross track laser rates of 1-10 Gbps
+ 2TB of payload memory - expandable to 10TB
+ ESPA Grande compatible

"The LX-CLASS was designed to support our next generation of multi-mission satellite customers including the Space Development Agency's Transport Layer with enough extra capacity to easily accommodate the integration of additional payloads. We are very excited to offer the expanded features of this platform, which is supported by our secure and proven supply chain for both military and commercial customers" said Dirk Wallinger, CEO of York.

The LX-CLASS is currently in production in York's Denver manufacturing facility, which is designed to produce 20 spacecraft simultaneously.

Related Links
York Space Systems
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

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