NASAPress Releases

Terran Orbital Completes NASA Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 Bus Commissioning Less Than One Week After Launch

Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP), a global leader in satellite solutions, primarily serving the United States aerospace and defense industry, today announced its Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 (PTD-3) satellite has completed bus commissioning with all health and status checkouts nominal.

“Terran Orbital is extremely proud PTD-3 bus commissioning was completed mere days after reaching orbit,” said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Marc Bell.Tweet this

Terran Orbital designed and built the PTD-3 satellite in support of NASA’s PTD series of missions. The missions will test the operation of a variety of novel small satellite technologies in low-Earth orbit while providing significant enhancements to performance. The successful demonstration of new subsystem technologies throughout multiple planned PTD missions will increase small spacecraft capabilities to enable future exploration missions and science.

PTD-3 carries the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) payload developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MITLL) and managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Funding for the TBIRD technology payload is provided by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program in the Space Operations Mission Directorate. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate’s (STMD) Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) program provides funding for the spacecraft, payload integration, mission operations, and launch. The PTD-3 spacecraft will demonstrate a space-to-ground data transfer capability at orders of magnitude faster than previously demonstrated technologies – opening doors to large volume data communications and data accessibility for advanced space exploration while delivering multiple terabytes of data per day to a single ground station.

The PTD series of missions each utilize a commercial spacecraft bus and avionics developed by Terran Orbital. This spacecraft platform easily accommodates a variety of mission payloads, while leveraging the production efficiency and flight heritage of a proven satellite bus. Terran Orbital also serves as the payload integrator for the PTD missions and performs on-orbit mission operations from the Terran Orbital Mission Operations Center in Irvine, CA.

“Terran Orbital is extremely proud PTD-3 bus commissioning was completed mere days after reaching orbit,” said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Marc Bell. “The technologies featured in PTD-3 will greatly benefit the ways we measure and observe activity on Earth and how we communicate that data. Creating the technology and satellite capabilities that fuel NASA’s PTD missions is an absolute privilege. Terran Orbital looks forward to continuing our on-orbit operations of PTD-3 and designing, building, integrating, and operating the additional upcoming PTD satellites.”

About Terran Orbital

Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of small satellites primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers. Learn more at www.terranorbital.com.

Ben

I am the owner of Cerebral-overload.com and the Verizon Wireless Reviewer for Techburgh.com. My love of gadgets came from his lack of a Nintendo Game Boy when he was a child . I vowed from that day on to get his hands on as many tech products as possible. My approach to a review is to make it informative for the technofile while still making it understandable to everyone. Ben is a new voice in the tech industry and is looking to make a mark wherever he goes. When not reviewing products, I is also a 911 Telecommunicator just outside of Pittsburgh PA. Twitter: @gizmoboaks

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button