PTD-3

PTD-3 is designed to deliver multiple terabytes of data per day to a single ground station.

PTD-3 is designed to deliver multiple terabytes of data per day to a single ground station.

PTD-3 bus commissioning was completed mere days after the satellite reached orbit.

PTD-3 completed bus commissioning mere days after reaching orbit.

The TBIRD payload on PTD-3 is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

The TBIRD payload on PTD-3 is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

The Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 (PTD-3) satellite carries the Terabyte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) Lasercom Optical Link payload.

Terran Orbital achieved first signal acquisition of the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) Lasercom Optical Link on the PTD-3 satellite.

PTD-3 was built and is operated by Terran Orbital of Irvine, California for NASA.

PTD-3 was launched into orbit on SpaceX’s Transporter-5 rideshare mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The TBIRD payload on NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 (PTD-3) will demonstrate a space-to-ground optical communications downlink at 200 gigabits per second.

PTD-3 is a 6-unit (6U) cubesat built and integrated by Terran Orbital to host and support launch and on-orbit operations of the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) payload.

PTD-3 carries the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) payload developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

PTD-3 carries the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) payload developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Terran Orbital completed first signal acquisition of the TBIRD Lasercom Optical Link on the PTD-3 spacecraft.

Terran Orbital developed the TBIRD payload’s unique interface board and performed thermal and structural analyses on the PTD-3 spacecraft.

Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 (PTD-3) is a satellite operated by Terran Orbital that enabled a successful 200 gigabits per second space-to-ground optical link.