Since Melanie Preisser joined York Space Systems as vice president of national systems in July 2019, she has worked to build relationships with key government officials and industry partners.
A former Air Force project engineer, she previously served with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics at the Pentagon, where she was responsible for acquisition oversight and coordination of major strategic, space and intelligence programs.
Preisser and the York team are committed to changing the way industry thinks about space and to delivering a speed-to-space model that promises customers — from military to disaster management to agriculture to natural resource management — in-orbit delivery in days, not years, and at a significantly reduced price, she said.
In May 2020, York opened a new production facility, tripling its footprint and enabling the company to mass manufacture its multirole spacecraft platform. This next-generation facility is now at full operational capability, able to produce 20 spacecraft simultaneously with a secure, 100% flight-qualified supply chain. Additionally, York’s on-orbit spacecraft and mission operations center just surpassed two years in operations.
“For a long time, government was the primary customer for space; and space programs took years to complete and were expensive for many reasons,” Preisser said. “Space is now a commercial industry that can serve a range of customers with a variety of applications and missions.”
Why Watch
York is growing the capability and functionality of commercial-based satellites, demonstrating enterprisewide autonomous operations for customers, and shortening the path from business conception to solution deployment. York said she meets commercial and government customer demand for their versatile spacecraft platforms and delivers superior quality and reliable solutions in days, not years, and does so at a reduced cost.
“We are changing the way industry thinks about space,” Preisser added. “Space is more accessible, affordable and faster. Rather than talking about it, we showed people it could be done. I see our approach uniting the world and making it better by enhancing connectivity, availability of data, and collaboration. As part of the York team, I love paving the way for a new reality.”