Terran Orbital’s Pathfinder-R and Pathfinder-4 Scheduled for Launch

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Terran Orbital Corporation, a global leader in satellite-based solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries, announced the scheduled launch of its Pathfinder-R (PTD-R) and Pathfinder-4 (PTD-4) spacecraft. These 6U Triumph class space vehicles are set to launch aboard the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission with SpaceX from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on August 16. The spacecraft are part of NASA's Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series, which aims to test the viability and operational effectiveness of a variety of technologies in low-Earth orbit.

The multiple, planned PTD missions will demonstrate and validate new and novel subsystem technologies that can be scaled and utilized on a wide range of future science and exploration missions. Terran Orbital's Triumph spacecraft bus and advanced MK II avionics platform are the backbone of these Pathfinder missions. “Entrusted with the entirety of this mission series, we at Terran Orbital stand poised to not only meet but also exceed the expectations set before us, as we forge ahead into the cosmos,” Marc Bell, Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer at Terran Orbital.

One of the spacecraft, PTD-4, is set to test a new solar panel system developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. This multi-functional system, called LISA-T, is special because it's not only lightweight but can also unfold in space to reveal a large solar panel with a built-in antenna. The mission will assess solar panel deployment, power generation, and antenna performance between the Earth and the vehicle.

The other spacecraft, PTD-R, contains Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s Deep Purple payload. This includes two monolithic telescopes (one for UV and the other for VIS/SWIR imaging), as well as a compact electronics module, and a novel, lightweight, carbon-composite optical housing and radiator. Its mission objectives are to observe UV and SWIR light from high-UV stars and the Milky Way’s galactic bulge, as well as to demonstrate space domain awareness.

Rideshare services provider SEOPS provided the mission management and integration services for the two payloads.