TDRS-11

Last updated
TDRS-11
TDRS-K satellite before launch.jpg
TDRS-K before launch
Mission type Communications
Operator NASA
COSPAR ID 2013-004A
SATCAT no. 39070
Mission durationPlanned: 15 years
Elapsed: 9 years, 3 months, 20 days
Spacecraft properties
Bus BSS-601HP
Manufacturer Boeing
Launch mass3,454 kilograms (7,615 lb) [1]
Start of mission
Launch date31 January 2013, 01:48 (2013-01-31UTC01:48)  UTC [2]
Rocket Atlas V 401 AV-036
Launch site Cape Canaveral SLC-41
Contractor United Launch Alliance
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Geosynchronous orbit
Perigee altitude 35,755 kilometers (22,217 mi) [3]
Apogee altitude 35,826 kilometers (22,261 mi) [3]
Inclination 6.39 degrees [3]
Period 1436.00 minutes [3]
Epoch 20 January 2015, 13:09:06 UTC [3]
TDRS K Project fairing logo.png  

TDRS-11, known before launch as TDRS-K, is an American communications satellite which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The eleventh Tracking and Data Relay Satellite is the first third-generation spacecraft. [4]

TDRS-11 was constructed by Boeing, and is based on the BSS-601HP satellite bus. Fully fuelled, it has a mass of 3,454 kilograms (7,615 lb), and is expected to operate for 15 years. [1] It carries two steerable antennas capable of providing S, Ku and Ka band communications for other spacecraft, plus an array of additional S-band transponders to allow communications at a lower data rate with greater numbers of spacecraft. [4]

TDRS-11 was launched at 01:48 UTC on 31 January 2013, at the beginning of a 40-minute launch window. United Launch Alliance performed the launch using an Atlas V carrier rocket, tail number AV-036, flying in the 401 configuration. [5] Liftoff occurred from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and the rocket placed its payload into a geostationary transfer orbit.

Following its arrival in geosynchronous orbit, the satellite underwent on-orbit testing. It was handed over to NASA in August 2013, receiving its operational designation TDRS-11. After its arrival on-station at 171 degrees west the satellite began its final phase of testing prior to entry into service at the end of November. [6] As of May 2020, it was positioned at 174 degrees west. [7]

Location of TDRS as of 22 May 2020 Location of TDRS.svg
Location of TDRS as of 22 May 2020
Location of TDRS as of March 2019 Map of TDRS.png
Location of TDRS as of March 2019

See also

Related Research Articles

Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System USA

The U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) is a network of American communications satellites and ground stations used by NASA for space communications. The system was designed to replace an existing network of ground stations that had supported all of NASA's crewed flight missions. The prime design goal was to increase the time spacecraft were in communication with the ground and improve the amount of data that could be transferred. Many Tracking and Data Relay Satellites were launched in the 1980s and 1990s with the Space Shuttle and made use of the Inertial Upper Stage, a two-stage solid rocket booster developed for the shuttle. Other TDRS were launched by Atlas IIa and Atlas V rockets.

Atlas V Expendable launch system

Atlas V is an expendable launch system and the fifth major version in the Atlas launch vehicle family. It was originally designed by Lockheed Martin, now being operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Atlas V is also a major NASA launch vehicle. In August 2021, ULA announced that Atlas V would be retired, and all 29 remaining launches had been sold. As of 20 May 2022, 23 launches remain and it is the oldest active American rocket to this day.

U.S. tracking and data relay satellite American communications satellite

A tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS) is a type of communications satellite that forms part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) used by NASA and other United States government agencies for communications to and from independent "User Platforms" such as satellites, balloons, aircraft, the International Space Station, and remote bases like the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. This system was designed to replace an existing worldwide network of ground stations that had supported all of NASA's crewed flight missions and uncrewed satellites in low-Earth orbits. The primary system design goal was to increase the amount of time that these spacecraft were in communication with the ground and improve the amount of data that could be transferred. These TDRSS satellites are all designed and built to be launched to and function in geosynchronous orbit, 35,786 km (22,236 mi) above the surface of the Earth.

Space Network (SN) is a NASA program that combines space and ground elements to support spacecraft communications in Earth vicinity. The SN Project Office at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) manages the SN, which consists of:

TDRS-8

TDRS-8, known before launch as TDRS-H, is an American communications satellite, of second generation, which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by Boeing is based on the BSS-601 satellite bus.

TDRS-B

TDRS-B was an American communications satellite, of first generation, which was to have formed part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was destroyed in 1986 when the Space ShuttleChallenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launch.

TDRS-1

TDRS-1, known before launch as TDRS-A, was an American communications satellite, operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by TRW and launched by Space ShuttleChallenger on its maiden flight, STS-6.

TDRS-5

TDRS-5, known before launch as TDRS-E, is an American communications satellite, of first generation, which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by TRW is based on a custom satellite bus which was used for all seven first generation TDRS satellites.

TDRS-3

TDRS-3, known before launch as TDRS-C, is an American communications satellite, of first generation, which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by TRW, and is based on a custom satellite bus which was used for all seven first generation TDRS satellites.

TDRS-4

TDRS-4, known before launch as TDRS-D, is an American communications satellite, of first generation, which was operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System from 1989 until 2011. It was constructed by TRW, based on a custom satellite bus which was used for all seven of the first generation TDRS satellites.

TDRS-6

TDRS-6, known before launch as TDRS-F, is an American communications satellite, of first generation, which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by TRW, and is based on a custom satellite bus which was used for all seven first generation TDRS satellites.

TDRS-7

TDRS-7, known before launch as TDRS-G, is an American communications satellite, of first generation, which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by TRW as a replacement for TDRS-B, which had been lost in the Challenger accident, and was the last first generation TDRS satellite to be launched.

TDRS-9

TDRS-9, known before launch as TDRS-I, is an American communications satellite which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by the Boeing Satellite Development Center, formerly Hughes Space and Communications, and is based on the BSS-601 satellite bus. It was the second Advanced TDRS, or second-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, to be launched.

TDRS-10

TDRS-10, known before launch as TDRS-J, is an American communications satellite which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by the Boeing Satellite Development Center, formerly Hughes Space and Communications, and is based on the BSS-601 satellite bus. It was the third and final Advanced TDRS, or second-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, to be launched.

Inmarsat-4A F4

Inmarsat-4A F4, also known as Alphasat and Inmarsat-XL, is a large geostationary communications I-4 satellite operated by UK based Inmarsat in partnership with the European Space Agency. Launched in 2013, it is used to provide mobile communications to Africa and parts of Europe and Asia.

TDRS-12

TDRS-12, known before launch as TDRS-L, is an American communications satellite operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The twelfth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, it is the second third-generation spacecraft to be launched, following TDRS-11 in 2013.

TDRS-13

TDRS-13, known before launch as TDRS-M, 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-12.

References

  1. 1 2 Krebs, Gunter. "TDRS K, L, M". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  2. ↑ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "TDRS 11 Satellite details 2013-004A NORAD 39070". N2YO. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 "TDRS-K Media Kit" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "TDRS-K Atlas V Mission Overview" (PDF). United Launch Alliance. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Updates on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Fleet". NASA. 22 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  7. ↑ http://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/tdrss.txt [ bare URL plain text file ]


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.