One of the innovations of small satellites is being able to build a spacecraft and put a payload on it instead of having to design a spacecraft from scratch depending on the unique needs of the payload. NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) program uses a common spacecraft design with different possible payloads to reduce costs and the time to produce and to increase efficiency. This allows more cool things to fly into space.

The third Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator spacecraft is demonstrating a laser communications payload called TBIRD. Like the spacecraft, TBIRD also uses off-the-shelf components instead of expensive space-rated parts.

One of the requirements of laser communications is that the spacecraft has very accurate attitude control so that it can transmit information to a small receiving station – basically a telescope on a tracking mount – while moving in space at 8 kilometers per second. Unlike radio comms, laser beams are smaller, but the advantage is a much higher data rate, so future spacecraft can send back more data faster. This mission only has one of those special ground stations, located in Table Mountain, California, near San Jose.

PTD-3 launched on Transporter-5 and has a planned mission duration of six months.

Another NASA mission on Transporter-5 is the CubeSat Proximity Operations Demonstration, where two CubeSats will practice rendezvous and docking. This has never been done before with spacecraft of this small size. We’re excited to find out how this one turns out.

More Information

NASA Goddard press release