Triteia was a semi-autonomous chemically propelled 6U CubeSat competing in NASA’s CubeQuest Competition. Triteia was one of the first CubeSats to venture into deep space, paving the way for future low-cost space missions. With the incorporation of an additively manufactured thruster and 450 m/s of Delta-V, Triteia was able to reach its target in days instead of months using low-thrust propulsion.
Triteia represented a new agile approach to space mission design. The incorporation of the CHREC space processor allowed for complex autonomous functions and data processing in a radiation-rich environment. The average satellite used outdated high-heritage processors, thousands of times slower than a consumer PC, and Triteia paved the way for the incorporation of modern high-level software development for future space missions.
Technologies
About the NASA CubeQuest Challenge
The Cube Quest Challenge, sponsored by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate Centennial Challenge Program, offered a total of $5 million to teams that meet the challenge objectives of designing, building and delivering flight-qualified, small satellites capable of advanced operations near and beyond the moon.
