York Space Systems, the Denver-based aerospace company, took its first steps to go public.

The company filed documents to set up an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, the first formal step toward offering shares of the company publicly.

York plans to list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “YSS.”

The company has not yet determined the number of shares it will offer at its IPO nor the stock price, the company said in a press release.

Over the last year, York has had several successful missions including the launching of 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency’s constellation network to support U.S. warfighters with satellite communication. It also completed the “BARD” mission for NASA, one of the first steps in the agency’s wider plan to switch to commercial communications technology instead of using its own system built in-house.

The company, founded in 2012 by its CEO Dirk Wallinger, is also growing its name recognition in the state.

York landed a major jersey-patch sponsorship with the Colorado Rockies over the summer. The company’s logo is now featured on the sleeves of all players’ jerseys in a deal lasting until 2030. York said it was the first aerospace company to score a jersey patch deal with any major league sports team.

The Denver aerospace and defense company has 670 full-time employees as of Sept. 30, according to its filing.

York reported $280 million in revenue from the beginning of the year up to the end of September. Revenues are up by 59% from the same period as 2024, when it made nearly $177 million. The company also shrank its net losses from $73.6 million in 2024 to $56 million in 2025, the filing shows.

The Denver aerospace company believes it’s uniquely positioned to win major contracts from President Donald Trump’s missile defense initiative known as “Golden Dome” on a quick timeline, the company said in its IPO filing.

The U.S. Space Force projected a $27 billion budget for Golden Dome in the near term. In total, the project is expected to cost $175 billion.

“We believe our core capabilities and proven on-orbit capabilities make us a leading candidate to win and expand contracts in this strategically vital project,” York’s IPO filing said.

COLORADO SPACE COMPANIES PART OF A LARGER TREND

The company’s plans are coming at a time as more aerospace and defense businesses are considering going public.

Texas-based Firefly Aerospace became a public company in August and another Denver-based aerospace company Voyager Technologies had its IPO in June.

Last year, Sierra Space’s former CEO Tom Vice also told CNBC that the Colorado-based company could pursue an IPO by late 2025. But Vice retired from Sierra Space at the end of 2024 and the company took a major blow this year after NASA significantly cut the number of missions for the long-awaited Dream Chaser space plane being developed in Louisville, Colo.

Going public has had mixed results for aerospace companies as Voyager Technologies stock sold for $56.48 per share at its debut and has fallen to $18.10 as of Monday. Firefly Aerospace shares also fell from $60 at its IP0 to less than $20.

Meanwhile, California-based aerospace and defense company Karman Holdings Inc. saw its shares grow rapidly from $32 from its IPO in February to $60 on Monday.

York’s plans to go public is a sign of growth in Colorado’s aerospace industry, said Raymond Gonzales, president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, home to the Colorado Space Coalition, in an emailed statement.

Colorado’s Front Range, spanning from the Wyoming border to Colorado Springs, is a major hub for aerospace companies.

Many companies are attracted to the region’s pool of talent, proximity to military bases and connections to research labs and universities such as University of Colorado Boulder and the Colorado School of Mines.

The area is home to large campuses and headquarters for companies such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance and BAE Systems’ Space & Mission Systems (formerly Ball Aerospace).

Yet, the region’s aerospace industry and state leaders were shaken after Trump announced Space Command’s headquarters would move from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Ala.

Despite setbacks and competition from more states, Gonzales said the state’s aerospace industry is still seeing momentum.

Voyager Technologies and York’s potential IPO show that the state isn’t only a hub for legacy aerospace companies and military contractors anymore, Gonzales said, but a place where smaller aerospace companies can become global leaders too.

“We are a state where new players can rise, secure major contracts, and help shape the future of both commercial and national security space,” he said.

There are also ripple effects in the region when an aerospace company goes public, the chamber president explained, from attracting new talent to raising Colorado’s profile in the industry.

“Colorado’s entire ecosystem strengthens,” he said. “That kind of growth becomes self-reinforcing.”