Home » NASA, Boeing, United Launch Alliance Reviewing New Launch Date For Tracking and Data Relay Satellite

NASA, Boeing, United Launch Alliance Reviewing New Launch Date For Tracking and Data Relay Satellite

By  //  July 23, 2017

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Delicious Digg This Stumble This

originally set for launch Aug. 3

ABOVE VIDEO: TDRS Deputy Project Manager Paul Buchanan takes you behind-the-scenes in the clean room where TDRS-M is undergoing final preparations and will be packed into its capsule for launch. (NASA video)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance are reviewing a new launch date in August for the agency’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.

NASA and Boeing need additional time to replace the spacecraft’s Omni S-band antenna at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida.

A separate possible ground support equipment issue at Astrotech still is being assessed.

TDRS-M will launch on a ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It is the latest satellite in a fleet of satellites supporting the space segment of the NASA’s Space Network.

NASA Announces Tracking and Data Relay Satellite Set For Launch Aug. 3 DamagedRelated Story:
NASA Announces Tracking and Data Relay Satellite Set For Launch Aug. 3 Damaged

CLICK HERE FOR NASA AND SPACE NEWS

The TDRS-M, constructed by Boeing based on the BSS-601HP satellite bus, weighs 7,615 pounds fully fueled, with a design life of 15 years. It carries two steerable antennae 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. 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. (NASA image)