During a continuous wave pass, York's operations team established first-contact telemetry download. The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) acquired signal with a strong carrier-to-noise ratio, and the session ended with a clean loss of signal, confirming reliable system performance.

"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."

Telemetry data showed that all mission systems performed as intended, with signal strength matching predictions and operational procedures running without error. Amplifier, synchronization, and Doppler correction functions operated correctly. Temperature and power readings remained within limits, and no faults were detected, confirming spacecraft health and mission preparations.

With commissioning complete, York will now verify spacecraft pointing for high-fidelity data transfers with networks in geostationary orbit, starting with TDRS.

The BARD spacecraft was launched in July 2025 as a commercial mission by York in partnership with NASA's SCaN Program and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The APL-designed PExT payload will demonstrate real-time interoperability between government and commercial relay networks in orbit, supporting NASA's transition to a commercial communications framework.

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