Thank you very much for visiting Gunter's Space Page. I hope that this site is useful and informative for you.
If you appreciate the information provided on this site, please consider supporting my work by making a simple and secure donation via PayPal. Please help to run the website and keep everything free of charge. Thank you very much.
PTD 1
PTD 1 [Tyvak]
The PTD 1 (Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator) is a 6U CubeSat technology demonstration mission that will test the operation of a variety of novel CubeSat subsystems in low-Earth orbit, providing significant enhancements to the performance of these small and effective spacecraft.
The primary goal of the first Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator spacecraft is to flight qualify and characterize a novel micro-electrospray thruster provided by Busek Space Propulsion and Systems.
Each PTD mission consists of a 6-unit (6U) CubeSat weighing approximately 11 kilograms and measuring 30 cm × 25 cm × 10 cm. Each PTD spacecraft will also be equipped with deployable solar arrays that provide an average of 44 watts of power while in orbit.
It was selected in 2017 by NASA to be launched as part of the ELaNa program.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | NASA Ames Research Center |
| Contractors: | NASA Ames Research Center; Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc.(bus) |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | CubeSat (6U) |
| Propulsion: | 3 × micro-electrospray thrusters |
| Power: | 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | 11 kg |
| Orbit: | 400 km × 400 km, 51.6° (typical) |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTD 1 | - | 2019 | CC SLC-40 | Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) | with Dragon CRS-19, CIRiS, EdgeCube |
