# York Space Systems careers in 2026: IPO, SDA satellites, and jobs

**Author:** Zero G Talent
**Published:** 2026-02-28
**Category:** career-guides
**Tags:** space, defense, software-engineering, colorado, salary, systems-engineering

[Read on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/blog/york-space-systems-careers-2026)

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# York Space Systems careers in 2026: IPO, SDA satellites, and jobs

<div class="blog-stats">
  <div class="blog-stat">
    <div class="blog-stat-value">~670</div>
    <div class="blog-stat-label">Employees</div>
  </div>
  <div class="blog-stat">
    <div class="blog-stat-value">NYSE: YSS</div>
    <div class="blog-stat-label">Went Public Jan 2026</div>
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  <div class="blog-stat">
    <div class="blog-stat-value">$642M</div>
    <div class="blog-stat-label">Contract Backlog</div>
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York Space Systems went public on NYSE in January 2026 (ticker: YSS) at $34/share, valued at ~$4.75 billion. The Denver-based company builds satellites for the Space Development Agency's missile tracking and transport constellation.

## Key facts

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Employees | ~670 |
| Revenue (trailing 12mo) | $375M |
| Backlog | $642M (substantially all SDA) |
| SDA contracts | 6 contracts across 3 tranches |
| Satellites delivered | 21 Tranche 1 Transport Layer (August 2025) |
| Total satellites building | 136 across SDA phases |

## Salary

| Role | Salary |
|------|--------|
| Software Engineer | ~$121,000 |
| Systems Engineer | $131,000–$143,000 |
| Senior Engineer | ~$137,000 |
| Engineering Lead | ~$174,000 |

## Why York matters

York is one of the few pure-play space companies focused on defense satellite constellations. The $642M backlog and IPO provide funding stability, and the company is acquiring suppliers to vertically integrate (including a ~$120M stock acquisition and the ATLAS ground services purchase).

**Location**: Denver, CO — a growing space industry hub with moderate cost of living compared to California.

<div class="blog-callout blog-callout-info">
  <div class="blog-callout-title">Post-IPO growth</div>
  <p>As a newly public company, York is likely to expand its workforce to execute on its $642M backlog. Engineers with satellite integration, RF systems, or flight software experience are well-positioned for these roles. The company's SDA contracts provide multi-year revenue visibility.</p>
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Browse space industry positions on [Zero G Talent](/search), or see our space careers overview.


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*Source: [Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com), the job board for space, defense, AI, robotics and frontier-tech companies.*