It was also originally intended to perform a communications experiment utilizing the Iridium and Orbcomm satellite phone network,[4] although this function was disabled before launch.

The satellite is based around an off-the-shelf Samsung Electronics Nexus S smartphone which serves in place of an onboard computer.

The spacecraft uses the phone's gyroscopes, along with a GPS receiver, to determine its position and orientation, and a system of reaction wheels and magnetorquer coils for attitude control.

TechEdSat-3p was the first satellite of the TechEdSat series to include an exo-brake, a parachute-like drag device to demonstrate passive deorbit capability.

This technology could be used to more quickly dispose of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that have completed their missions, decreasing the amount of potentially hazardous debris in space.

According to smallsat logistics company ÅAC Microtech, a main power distribution board designed for TechEdSat-1 was reused on the TechEdSat-3p mission.

[20] TechEdSat-5 was a 4 kg, 3.5U CubeSat that was launched on 9 December 2016 aboard the Kounotori 6 (HTV-6) cargo resupply spacecraft, and was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) at 18:20 UTC on 6 March 2017.

[21] It was the first satellite in the TechEdSat program to include a modulated Exo-Brake that was could adjust the amount of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft, enabling a targeted re-entry.

[23] TechEdSat-6 was a CubeSat 3.5U that was launched at 12:19:51 UTC on 12 November 2017 aboard the Cygnus CRS-8 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

It featured a semi-autonomous control system to target the entry face point, as well as capabilities to measure a unique ablation device on the forebody.

TechEdSat-8 was originally planned to launch with the Cygnus NG-10 (17 November 2018) cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station as part of the ELaNa program, but instead was launched aboard the SpaceX CRS-16 ISS cargo resupply mission at 18:16 UTC on 5 December 2018,[32] arriving at the International Space Station (ISS) on 8 December 2018.

[36] The satellite failed shortly after deployment due to a loss of power from its solar panels, and re-entered in the atmosphere of Earth on 20 April 2020.

[40] Deployed on 13 July 2020, TechEdSat-10 tested radio communication devices, precision deorbit technologies for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and others, radiation tolerant electronics, and artificial intelligence hardware for future experiments.

[41][37][40] The mission demonstrated increased storage and power capabilities that could enable future science and exploration using small spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit.

Included on TechEdSat-10 were improvements over previous CubeSat technologies in the areas of communications and radio systems, and new propulsion techniques.

[42] As the tenth iteration in the Technology Educational Satellite (TES) series, TechEdSat-10 built upon a history of the program's innovative work with early career researchers, students, and volunteers.