Willem de Vries, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Nathan Golovich, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; J. Luc Peterson, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Phillip Rittmuller, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Lance Simms, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Jordan Smilo, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Kelsey Tresemer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Peter Waswa, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Talin Guliani, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and University of California, Berkeley; Rishay Jain, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and University of California, Berkeley; Ziad Ramadan, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and University of California, Berkeley; Emily Milne, Terran Orbital Corporation; Brendan Smith, Terran Orbital Corporation; Michael Higgins, Terran Orbital Corporation; Luis Andrade, Terran Orbital Corporation; Declan King, Terran Orbital Corporation; Courtney Melville, Terran Orbital Corporation; Ryan Downs, Terran Orbital Corporation; Shawn Joseph, Terran Orbital Corporation; Kyle Kung, Terran Orbital Corporation; Christopher Laurent, Terran Orbital Corporation
Keywords: Space-based optical, Ultra-violet, short-wave infrared, space domain awareness, GEO tracking
Abstract:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), in collaboration with NASA and commercial partner Terran Orbital, is currently supporting the operations of the Pathfinder Technology Demonstration Replacement (PTD-R) satellite, as well as our earlier GEOstare SV2 demonstator satellite (since 2021). Both are 6U CubeSats equipped with co-boresighted imaging channels. PTD-R carries monolithic Ultraviolet (UV) and Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) telescopes, whereas GEOstare SV2 covers the standard optical regime.
PTD-R launched on August 16, 2024 into a Sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 500km. After successfully exercising basic inertial and Earth-based imaging, more sophisticated modes involving tracking Resident Space Objects (RSOs) have been demonstrated. This presentation highlights the unique sensing capabilities of PTD-R and outlines some of its mission successes and planned Space Domain Awareness (SDA) demonstrations.
The latter include bi-static imaging campaigns coordinated with LLLNL’s other on-orbit SDA demonstration satellite, GEOstare SV2. In particular, we imaged Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites simulateneously, enabling range estimates through triangulation. This enables more accurate initial orbit estimates, especially for GEO targets. We also successfully tracked and imaged Near Earth asteroids traveling on unusual orbits with perigees inside the Earth-Moon system, highlighting the agile tracking capabilities of these small platforms.
The combination of multiple low-cost sensing platforms across a wide range of the EM spectrum can provide a scalable approach to space-based SDA that is complementary to existing ground- and space-based capabilities.
Date of Conference: September 16-19, 2025
Track: Space-Based Assets