NASA's PExT Mission Revolutionizes Satellite Communication, Extends Operations Through 2027
June 6, 2026
The project showcases enterprise service operations using Aalyria Technologies' Spacetime software to manage multi-mission communications within a shared software framework.
This collaboration advances interoperable space communications as part of the Hybrid Space Architecture initiative, building on prior NextSTEP-2 work between government and commercial systems.
PExT launched on July 23, 2025, aboard York Space Systems' BARD spacecraft to demonstrate wideband Ka-band data routing across government and commercial relay networks.
NASA has completed the primary phase of the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) mission, enabling spacecraft to connect across multiple satellite networks with extended operations through April 2027.
The SCaN Program, in partnership with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, funds and manages PExT to validate commercial communications architectures for both low Earth orbit and deeper space missions.
In December 2025, tests demonstrated successful data transmission to Earth via NASA's Tracking and Relay Satellite system and commercial networks operated by Viasat and SES Space and Defense.
From January 2026, NASA began extended operations, including testing direct Earth communications through SSC Space's ground stations, targeting more than 50 direct Earth connections from Weilheim, Germany.
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ScienceDaily • Jun 6, 2026
NASA just proved spacecraft can switch between multiple satellite networks