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Small Spacecraft Technology

Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 1 (PTD-1) - TUI HYDROS

Completed Technology Project
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Project Description

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.

The goal of the PTD-1 mission is to demonstrate the Tethers Unlimited Inc. (TUI) HYDROS water fueled thruster. The development of this thruster was supported through a public-private partnership between TUI and NASA. The HYDROS is intended to provide safe, high-performance propulsion for secondary payloads. The propulsion system is launched with only liquid water as the propellant and then uses electrolysis to split the water into gaseous hydrogen and oxygen for a simple bipropellant thruster once deployed on-orbit. This orbital flight test is part of the Pathfinder Technology Demonstration series of missions where the spacecraft, payload integration, and operations are provided under a commercial contract with Tyvak Nano-Satellite System, Inc.

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