Propulsion Technology Demonstrator

NASA's Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) project will test the operation of a variety of novel CubeSat technologies in low- Earth orbit, providing significant enhancements to the performance of these small and effective spacecraft. Each Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator mission consists of a 6-unit (6U) CubeSat weighing approximately 26 pounds (12 kilograms) and measuring 12 inches x 10 inches x 4 inches (30 centimeters x 25 centimeters x 10 centimeters), comparable in size to a common shoebox. CubeSats are a class of nanosatellites that use a standard size and form factor. The standard Cube- Sat size uses a "one unit" or "1U" measuring 4 inches x 4 inches x 4 inches (10x10x10 centimeters) and is extendable to larger sizes by "stacking" a number of the 1U blocks to form a larger spacecraft. Each PTD spacecraft will also be equipped with deployable solar arrays that provide an average of 44 watts of power while in orbit.