Mission Highlights From Deep Purple and the Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-R

Deep Purple is a satellite payload equipped with co-boresighted Ultraviolet (UV) and Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) telescopes. The payload is hosted on the 6U Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-R (PTD-R) CubeSat. PTD-R launched on August 16, 2024, into a Sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 520km. After successfully exercising basic inertial and Earth-based imaging with Deep Purple, more sophisticated modes that involve tracking Resident Space Objects (RSOs) were demonstrated. This paper highlights the unique sensing capabilities of PTD-R and outlines some of the mission successes achieved over its 10-month campaign. The latter include follow-on imaging campaigns coordinated with LLNL’s other on-orbit SDA demonstration satellite, GEOstare SV2.