TDRS-M

TDRS-13
TDRS-M at the Astrotech payload processing facility
Mission type Communications
Operator NASA
Mission duration 15 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Bus BSS-601HP
Manufacturer Boeing
Launch mass 3,454 kg (7,615 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date August 18, 2017,
12:29 UTC[2]
Rocket Atlas V 401
Launch site Cape Canaveral SLC-41
Contractor United Launch Alliance
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Geosynchronous orbit

TDRS-M, to be renamed TDRS-13 upon entry into service, is an American communications satellite operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The thirteenth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, it is the third and final third-generation spacecraft to be launched, following the 2014 launch of TDRS-L.

Spacecraft

TDRS-M was constructed by Boeing, based on the BSS-601HP satellite bus. Fully fueled, it has a mass of 3,454 kg (7,615 lb), with a design life of 15 years.[1] It carries two steerable antennas capable of providing S, Ku and Ka band communications for other spacecraft, with an additional array of S-band transponders for lower-rate communications with five further satellites.[3] The satellite is powered by two solar arrays, which produce 2.8 to 3.2 kilowatts of power, while an R-4D-11-300 engine is present to provide propulsion.[1]

Launch

In 2015, NASA contracted with United Launch Alliance to launch TDRS-M on an Atlas V 401 for $132.4 million. The spacecraft was launched on August 18, 2017 at 12:29 UTC (08:29 local time on August 18). [2] from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.[4]

Damage during final closeouts

On July 15, 2017, The TDRS-M space communications satellite was damaged during the encapsulation process at Astrotech Space Operations.

According to NASA's press release, "NASA and Boeing are reviewing an incident that occurred during final spacecraft closeout activities on the TDRS-M mission at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, on July 14, involving the Omni S-band antenna."[5] This incident did result in a launch delay.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Krebs, Gunter. "TDRS K, L, M". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 Clark, Stephen (16 September 2016). "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "TDRS-K Media Kit" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  4. ↑ Northon, Karen (30 October 2015). "NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for TDRS Satellite". NASA. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  5. ↑ Garner, Rob (15 July 2017). "TDRS-M Status Update - July 15, 2017". NASA. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
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