TDRS-M – Atlas V 401 – Канаверал SLC-41 – 18.08.2017 12:29 UTC

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NASA TDRS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TDRS 7 мин. назад

Thank you, @CanberraDSN, for looking after #TDRSM! Canberra's ground station is part of our sister space comm network, Deep Space Network!

CanberraDSN‏Подлинная учетная запись @CanberraDSN 11 мин назад

We're continuing to keep a watchful eye (antenna dish) towards @NASA_TDRS-M (TD13) on #DSS36 as it passes by our part of the world.

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http://www.ulalaunch.com/ula-successfully-launches-nasas-tdrsm.aspx

United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches NASA's TDRS-M Satellite

Final Mission in Series Completes Third Generation Space Communication Satellites

Atlas V TDRS-M Mission Overview

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., (Aug. 18, 2017) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the NASA's Tracking Data and Relay Satellite-M (TDRS-M) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 Aug. 18 at 8:29 a.m. EDT. The TDRS-M is the third and final mission in the series of these third-generation space communication satellites to orbit, as part of the follow-on fleet being developed to replenish NASA's space Network.

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"ULA uses the TDRS system as a primary means of receiving and distributing launch vehicle telemetry data during every flight. In fact, the TDRS-K and TDRS-L spacecraft, launched by ULA in 2013 and 2014 tracked today's launch" said Laura Maginnis, ULA vice president of Government Satellite Launch. "We are absolutely honored to have delivered this core NASA capability and critical national resource for our country."

All six of the newest TDRS satellites have been delivered to orbit on Atlas V vehicles.

This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 configuration vehicle, which includes a 4-meter extended payload fairing. The Atlas booster for this mission was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine, and the Centaur upper stage was powered by the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C engine. This is ULA's 5th launch in 2017 and the 120th successful launch since the company was formed in December 2006.

"Congratulations to our entire ULA team and mission partners at NASA on another successful launch that will enable so many to explore and operate in space," said Maginnis.

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) is a space-based communication system used to provide tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services. Microwave communications equipment and gimbaled antennae are the primary payload of each TDRS. The system is capable of providing near continuous high-bandwidth telecommunications services for Low Earth orbiting spacecraft and expendable launch vehicles including the International Space Station.  

With more than a century of combined heritage, United Launch Alliance is the nation's most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 115 satellites to orbit that aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, provide critical capabilities for troops in the field and enable personal device-based GPS navigation.

For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321). Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch.

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08/18/2017 17:48
This was the 143rd successful Atlas program launch in a row spanning more than two decades and the 72nd for an Atlas 5 (which will celebrate its 15th birthday on Monday).
(ULA photo)

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Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 9 мин. назад

#TDRSM is NASA's 12th Tracking and Data Relay Satellite to be successfully orbited since 1983. Six by space shuttles, six by Atlas rockets

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NASA TDRS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TDRS 2 ч. назад

Confirmed: The #TDRSM spacecraft is healthy, and has successfully been placed in geosynchronous transfer orbit: https://go.nasa.gov/2wooJpt 

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NASA‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA 1 ч. назад

Our new @NASA_TDRS communications satellite has successfully been placed into orbit following launch at 8:29am ET: http://go.nasa.gov/2fRDvyX

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-successfully-launches-latest-communications-satellite

Aug. 18, 2017
RELEASE 17-073

NASA Successfully Launches Latest Communications Satellite


NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-M (TDRS-M), which is the third and final in a series of next generation communications satellites, has successfully been placed into orbit following separation from an United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
Credits: NASA

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-M (TDRS-M), which is the third and final in a series of next generation communications satellites, has successfully been placed into orbit following separation from an United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. TDRS-M launched Friday at 8:29 a.m. EDT from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Ground controllers report the satellite is in good health at the start of a four-month checkout in space by its manufacturer, Boeing. NASA will conduct additional tests before putting TDRS-M into service early next year. When ready, TDRS-M will become part of NASA's Space Network providing navigation and high-data-rate communications to the International Space Station, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, rockets and a host of other spacecraft.

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"The TDRS fleet is a critical connection delivering science and human spaceflight data to those who can use it here on Earth," said Dave Littmann, the TDRS project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "TDRS-M will expand the capabilities and extend the lifespan of the Space Network, allowing us to continue receiving and transmitting mission data well into the next decade."

The mission of the TDRS project, established in 1973, is to develop, launch and deliver data communications relay spacecraft to support NASA's Space Network, which provides high-data-rate communications and accurate navigation. The TDRS-M spacecraft is effectively identical -- in both function and performance -- to the TDRS-K and -L spacecraft launched in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The TDRS fleet began operating during the space shuttle era with the launch of TDRS-1 in 1983. Of the TDRS spacecraft launched to date, only two have been retired and five of the nine operational satellites have exceeded their design life and continue to provide essential communications and navigation services.

Boeing conducted spacecraft integration and testing earlier this year at its satellite factory in El Segundo, California. After testing and confirming the spacecraft was ready for shipment, launch processing began following TDRS-M's arrival in Florida June 23.

NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program, known as SCaN, is part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington, and is responsible for the Space Network. The TDRS project office at Goddard manages the TDRS development program. Management of the launch service for TDRS-M is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ULA provided the Atlas V rocket launch service.

For more information about TDRS, visit:

http://nasa.gov/tdrs

-end-

Cheryl Warner
 Headquarters, Washington
 202-358-1100
cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

Dewayne Washington
 Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
 301-286-0040
dewayne.a.washington@nasa.gov

Tori McLendon
 Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
 321-867-2468
tori.n.mclendon@nasa.gov

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Last Updated: Aug. 18, 2017
Editor: Katherine Brown

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NASA TDRS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TDRS 2 ч. назад

#TDRSM's single-access antennas (the 2 large, round dishes) now unfurl from their stowed state. Deployment stages 1-3 already completed.

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NASA_LSP‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_LSP 10 мин. назад

Check out the photos from today's launch of NASA's #TDRSM atop a ULA #Atlas V rocket from SLC-41 at CCAFS! https://flic.kr/s/aHskYFJAYB 

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Boeing Defense‏Подлинная учетная запись @BoeingDefense 2 ч. назад

#Boeing-built @NASA_TDRS #satellite successfully launches, sends 1st signals from space. RELEASE: http://boeing.mediaroom.com/news-releases-statements?item=129996 ... #TDRSM #AtlasV

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/news-releases-statements?item=129996

Boeing-Built Satellite Completes NASA's Space Communications Network

TDRS-M satellite enables continued communication with International Space Station, Hubble Telescope

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Aug. 18, 2017 – The sixth and final Boeing [NYSE: BA] Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS), launched today, will enhance NASA's space communications network when the satellite becomes fully operational early next year.

TDRS-M is the latest satellite in NASA's TDRS constellation and will provide high-bandwidth communications to spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. The TDRS network enables continuous communication with the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Earth Observing System and other programs supporting human space flight.

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This is the sixth TDRS satellite Boeing has built for NASA, the first of which was delivered in 2000. After reaching its final orbit, the satellite will undergo testing and checkout before being declared operational.

"This TDRS-M milestone is another step forward in Boeing's commitment to developing technologies to support future NASA near-Earth, moon, Mars and deep space missions – and to do so affordably, drawing on our 40-plus years of strong Boeing-NASA partnership," said Enrico Attanasio, executive director, Department of Defense and Civil Programs, Boeing Satellite Systems.

Boeing has provided space communication services to NASA for more than four decades, and has been NASA's sole provider of tracking and data relay satellites since 1995.

For more information on Defense, Space & Security, visit www.boeing.com. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.

# # #

Contact:

Dan Beck
 Space & Missile Systems
 Office: +1 703-414-6447
 Mobile: +1 562-243-7082
 daniel.c.beck@boeing.com

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Tory Bruno‏Подлинная учетная запись @torybruno 57 мин. назад

Trajectory analysis in. Injection accuracy was within 1% of prediction #TDRSM

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Tory Bruno‏Подлинная учетная запись @torybruno 54 мин. назад

Amazing team. Ground sprt chill line vac leak. Within minutes: diagnosed, workaround in place, new limits set. Launched on time. #TDRSM

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http://spaceflight101.com/atlas-v-tdrs-m/photos-atlas-v-takes-to-the-skies-with-tdrs-m-data-relay-satellite/

Photos: Atlas V Takes to the Skies with TDRS-M Data Relay Satellite
August 18, 2017

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket lifted of from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 at 12:29 UTC on August 18, 2017, carrying into orbit NASA's TDRS-M satellite, set to join the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System supporting the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope and dozens of NASA science missions orbiting the Earth.

Powering away from Florida's Space Coast with its RD-180 engine, Atlas V fired its first stage for four minutes before the Centaur upper stage took over for an initial 13.5-minute burn followed by 90 minutes of passive coasting prior to a brief re-light of the upper stage to inject the 3.5-metric ton satellite into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.

>> Read our Launch Recap

All Photos below: United Launch Alliance

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All Photos below: NASA Kennedy

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http://spaceflight101.com/atlas-v-tdrs-m/videos-atlas-v-blasts-off-from-florida-with-tdrs-m-satellite/

Videos: Atlas V Blasts off from Florida with TDRS-M Satellite
August 18, 2017

United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket lifted of from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 at 12:29 UTC on August 18, 2017, carrying into orbit NASA's TDRS-M satellite, set to join the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System supporting the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope and dozens of NASA science missions orbiting the Earth.

Powering away from Florida's Space Coast with its RD-180 engine, Atlas V fired its first stage for four minutes before the Centaur upper stage took over for an initial 13.5-minute burn followed by 90 minutes of passive coasting prior to a brief re-light of the upper stage to inject the 3.5-metric ton satellite into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.

>> Read our Launch Recap

(19:11)
(11:12)

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http://spaceflight101.com/atlas-v-tdrs-m/atlas-v-successfully-launches-tdrs-m-for-nasa/

NASA's Newest Tracking & Data Relay Satellite Sails into Orbit aboard ULA Atlas V Rocket
August 18, 2017

The rumble of an Atlas V rocket returned to Cape Canaveral on Friday after a four-month gap when ULA's workhorse rocket blasted off with critical reinforcement for NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, providing extension coverage to maintain the agency's prime space communications program well into the next decade.

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Photo: United Launch Alliance

TDRSS builds a critical life line for astronauts aboard the International Space Station, delivers images fr om the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's flagship Earth Observation Missions, and over 40 other scientific satellites as well as national security assets, aircraft and remote research stations in Antarctica. TDRS-M, the newest communications relay hub, will join the constellation as the final member in the third generation of TDRSS satellites, providing a boost in overall network capacity to handle ever-growing user demands, and ensure TDRSS can remain in service until the Space Station's expected retirement.


Photo: NASA Kennedy

Atlas V – flying for the fourth time this year – thundered off fr om Space Launch Complex 41 at 12:29 UTC, 8:29 a.m. local time, rising into clear skies under the power of its two-chamber RD-180 engine that powered the vehicle until the first stage dropped away just over four minutes into the mission.

Assuming control of powered flight, the trusted Centaur upper stage was tasked with a customized mission profile to deliver TDRS-M to an optimized drop-off point – requiring a lengthy initial burn of over thirteen and a half minutes followed by a one-and-a-half-hour coast phase to set up for a short but critical re-start that lifted the 3.5-metric-ton satellite into its target Geostationary Transfer Orbit.

Loaded springs pushed the spacecraft away fr om the Centaur upper stage one hour and 54 minutes after Friday's launch and the craft checked in with ground stations to set the stage for a ten-day climb into Geostationary Orbit wh ere its velocity will match that of Earth's rotation to allow the satellite to remain in a fixed position in the sky. TDRS-M will be re-named TDRS-13 upon reaching operational status around five months after launch, entering the constellation over the Atlantic to deliver additional capacity to deal with growing user demands.


TDRS-M during final Processing – Photo: NASA

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) was established in the 1980s after NASA identified the need for near-constant coverage of the Space Shuttle's orbit to remain in touch with the astronauts on board. Before TDRSS, NASA used a series of ground stations that only provided sporadic coverage, considered sufficient for robotic probes and satellites but making for some tense gaps in communications during the early Mercury and Gemini missions.

TDRSS functions by deploying a series of communication relay satellites in three locations in Geostationary Orbit, over the Atlantic (TDRS-East), Pacific (TDRS-West) and TDRS-Z over the Indian Ocean, covering what is known as the Zone of Exclusion – a small blind area between the eastern and western satellites. Featuring different antennas, the satellites relay data from lower-orbiting spacecraft to ground terminals in Guam and New Mexico from wh ere data is routed to the respective users.

The most prominent user of TDRSS is the International Space Station, using high-rate communications to beam down a plethora of video and data feeds from dozens of scientific experiments on the inside and outside of the complex while low-rate communication links are used to provide a near-continuous voice link between Mission Control and the crew. TDRS also provides standard-of-living services for the crew like video-conferencing with their families, TV uplink and Internet access, using TDRS as a relay from the ground to a LEO spacecraft.

>> TDRS-M & TDRSS Constellation Overview


TDRSS Constellation – Image: NASA

Beyond ISS, TDRSS supports other NASA flagship missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the Landsat program that has kept watch over Planet Earth for over four decades. All in all, TDRSS is relied on by dozens of NASA missions and other users like the Department of Defence to keep in contact with some of its classified space assets.

A total of 13 TDRSS satellites were launched since 1983 – six of seven first generation satellites were successfully orbited by the Space Shuttle (one was lost in the Challenger accident), three second-generation satellites were lifted by Atlas IIA rockets and three third-generation satellites launched between 2013 and 2017. TDRS-M joins nine satellites that remain in service, seven as part of the active constellation and two older ones are in a position to be called upon as spares.


TDRSS 3rd Generation – Image: NASA

In addition to covering satellites in orbit, TDRSS also relays communications for aircraft, balloons and remote ground stations as well as rockets on their way into orbit. In fact, Friday's TDRSS launch was supported by TDRS-12 that made its way into orbit on an Atlas V three years ago and this time covered the first Centaur burn while TDRS-7 provided communications in the later stages of flight when Centaur was over the Indian Ocean.

The three third-generation TDRSS satellites are essentially carbon copies with TDRS-M being the 76th and final Boeing BSS-601HP satellite to leave Earth. Once among the most popular communications satellite platforms, BSS-601 has been replaced with the much-improved 702 series but NASA decided in 2007 when ordering TDRS-K and L to stick with the well-proven 601 platform and TDRS-M was ordered in 2011 to follow suit.


Image: NASA

TDRS-M, often likened to certain kinds of florals or cocooned insects with its antennas and appendages stowed, weighs in at 3,454 Kilograms and stands 8 meters tall when packed for launch. Once in orbit, the craft will deploy a pair of power-generating solar arrays, two 4.6-meter mesh antennas for single-access, high-rate links, a 1.9-meter antenna facilitating the space-to-ground-link and a phased array on the Earth-facing side will provide multi-access links to several spacecraft at the same time. Each single-access antenna supports one spacecraft at a time, typically the ISS (when in view) and one other craft – used for high-data rate burst downlink of stored onboard data.

Single-access services are available in three bands – Ku/Ka-Band is employed for very high data rates up to 800 Mbit/s for the return link and S-Band rates can be as high as 25 Mbit/s. Multi-access allows each TDRSS satellite to receive and send data to up to five other satellites at the same time.


Photo: United Launch Alliance

TDRS-M comes with a price tag of $289 million, awarded to Boeing under a fixed-price contract as NASA exercised its option for a third satellite, foregoing an additional option for a possible TDRS-N. The craft's launch contract was awarded to ULA in 2015 for $132.4 million.

Friday's launch of Atlas V AV-074 was preceded by a smooth countdown for the workhorse launcher, starting just after 1 a.m. local time to power up the two-stage rocket and press into a lengthy testing operation to verify all systems were in readiness for the mission. Range instrumentation was set up and radio checks with Atlas V were performed around the L-4-hour mark followed by the final close outs at the launch complex to clear the way for fueling.

Cryogenic tanking picked up when the countdown resumed from a 15-minute pause at the T-2-hour mark to load Atlas V with Liquid Oxygen oxidizer and Liquid Hydrogen fuel. 94,600 liters of Rocket Propellant 1 had been filled into the first stage after Wednesday's rollout, leaving only the supercold cryogenics to be loaded during the count – a sequence taking 90 minutes.

>> Atlas V Launch Vehicle Overview

Tanking was by the book as the first stage received some 185,000 liters of the -183°C oxidizer while the second stage was loaded with 15,700 liters of LOX and 48,100 liters of the even colder LH2, stored at -253°C.


Photo: United Launch Alliance

With all tanks in topping and a refined version of the flight profile uploaded to Atlas V, the vehicle entered some final preparations for automated countdown while TDRS-M switched to battery power to be ready for its climb to orbit.

The launch had to be pushed into the day's launch window opening at 12:03 UTC due to an anomalous condition on the RL-10C engine of the Centaur upper stage that was slow to reach the required temperature on its oxidizer turbopump. The issue was traced back to a ground support line and teams adjusted the engine's chilldown pressures to coax the pump temperature into the desired range. This delayed liftoff by 26 minutes.

With issues resolved and excellent weather, all support stations provided a unanimous GO to allow Atlas V to enter the fast-paced four-minute auto sequence to pressurize its tanks, arm the Flight Termination System, switch to battery power and take over control from ground systems for the final automatic checks leading up to engine start.

The Russian-built RD-180 ignited at T-2.7 seconds in a carefully controlled sequence to reach a launch thrust of 390 metric-ton-force to lift the 335-tonne vehicle off its pad. Computers verified RD-180 was running smoothly before releasing the 58-meter tall Atlas V rocket to begin its climb into orbit.

With no Solid Rocket Boosters, Atlas V made the typical graceful liftoff – gimbaling the two nozzles of the RD-180 to keep the rocket in a vertical posture for the first 18 seconds of the mission. The NPO Energomash engine showed stable performance as Atlas V swung to the south-east, pitching and rolling to begin its trek toward Geostationary Transfer Orbit.


Photo: NASA TV

Atlas V pushed through the sound barrier after eighty seconds, encountered Maximum Dynamic Pressure at T+1:32 and had shed half its liftoff weight two and a half minutes into the flight as the RD-180 continued guzzling down 1,150 Kilograms of propellant per second.

BECO, Booster Engine Cutoff, was called four minutes and two seconds after liftoff with RD-180 gradually throttling back in the closing seconds of its burn to lim it acceleration on the vehicle. Cutting charges separated the spent Common Core Booster and the 32.5-meter long first stage was pushed clear of Centaur by eight small retrorockets.

Performance on the CCB was noted as near-nominal, within pre-flight predictions.

The trusted Centaur upper stage – conducting its 243rd mission – immediately headed into purging of its reaction control system and pre-started the RL-10C engine before ignition four minutes and 18 seconds into the flight. Just eight seconds later, Atlas V split open and dropped its payload fairing as the vehicle had reached the tenuous upper atmosphere were aerodynamic forces could no-longer hurt TDRS-M's delicate mesh antennas.


Photo: NASA TV

Centaur conducted a lengthy first burn, firing the 10,400kgf RL-10 engine for just over 13 and a half minutes to reach an elliptical Parking Orbit as part of a customized mission design. The burn went by the book and Centaur settled down in an orbit of 183 by 25,680 Kilometers, 27.0° for a coast phase of 90 minutes.

The coast phase was extended over past TDRS missions on Atlas V to optimally use the recently-introduced RL-10C engine and reach the best possible injection orbit. In essence, extending the coast by eight and a quarter minutes bought the satellite an additional two years of service life by delivering it to a higher-energy injection orbit and so save fuel on the climb into GEO.

While coasting, Centaur finished its Atlantic-crossing, flew over Sub-Saharan Africa & Madagascar and then headed out over the Indian Ocean as it gained altitude – targeting the second burn slightly over the halfway-point up to the high-point of the Parking Orbit. Re-start of Centaur was confirmed one hour and 48 minutes into the flight and the burn ran the expected 56 seconds. Navigation data from the upper stage showed an injection orbit of 4,644 by 35,790 Kilometers, 26.23 degrees – very close to the target 4,640 x 35,788km, 26.2° orbit.


TDRS-M Deployment – Image: NASA

TDRS-M separated from Centaur one hour and 54 minutes into the flight and checked in with a tracking station in Australia just over a minute after deployment, sending back status telemetry to confirm its health in orbit. Engineers will conduct detailed tests of the satellite before beginning a series of apogee-maneuvers with its R-4D engine to spiral up from its elliptical drop-off point into the Geostationary Belt over the equator to begin five months of testing ahead of at least 15 years of active service.

Friday's launch was the 72nd for the Atlas V since its inauguration in 2002 and the 120th mission for United Launch Alliance. It was the 37th flight of the Atlas V 401 variant, the 50th of the Atlas V 400 series and the 59th Atlas V from Cape Canaveral. It also marked the 654th launch of a vehicle named Atlas, going back to the early days of space flight in 1957.

ULA fans will not have to wait another four months for the next mission as a series of launches is lined up before the end of the year, involving Atlas V, Delta IV and Delta II vehicles. The next missions on the manifest are two secretive deliveries for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office in September from Florida and California, pending readiness of the payloads.

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Eileen Drake‏ @DrakeEileen 2 ч. назад

Gorgeous launch! Congrats to everyone involved! @NASA_TDRS @ULAlaunch @ToryBruno @AerojetRdyne

Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne 3 ч. назад

Aerojet Rocketdyne Supports Launch of Satellite for NASA's Space Network http://bit.ly/2fS9XBj  @NASA_TDRS @NASA Pix: @ulalaunch #AtlasV

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http://www.rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-supports-launch-satellite-nasas-space-network

Aerojet Rocketdyne Supports Launch of Satellite for NASA's Space Network

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), successfully supported the launch of the latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M) for NASA's Space Network. The mission was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion systems on the Atlas V included the RL10C-1 upper-stage engine, six helium pressurization tanks, and 12 Centaur upper-stage Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters. The TDRS-M satellite carries an Aerojet-Rocketdyne R-4D 100 lbf bipropellant engine for moving the satellite from its launch tip-off into geosynchronous orbit.

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"The Space Network is vital for scientists, engineers and control room staff to access data from Earth-orbiting satellites, most notably the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "It's a privilege to know our propulsion systems have once again been called upon to deliver the TDRS satellites into orbit with 100 percent mission success, enabling the continuation of scientific exploration for years to come."

Aerojet Rocketdyne's RL10C-1 upper-stage engine ignited after separation of the first stage to place the payload into orbit, helped by the Centaur RCS thrusters and pressurization tanks. The RL10C-1 delivers 22,890 pounds of thrust to power the Atlas V upper stage, using cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.

The RL10C-1 was developed from the RL10 family of upper-stage engines, which has accumulated one of the most impressive track records of accomplishments in the history of space propulsion. More than 480 RL10 engines have supported launches over the last 50 years, playing a vital role in placing military, government and commercial satellites into orbit, and powering scientific space probes on every interplanetary mission in our solar system.

The 12 MR-106 RCS thrusters are assembled in four rocket engine modules and provide pitch, yaw and roll control for the Centaur upper stage as well as settling burns prior to firing the RL10C-1 engine.

ARDÉ, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne based in New Jersey, manufactures the pressure vessels on the first and second stages of the launch vehicle.

The Space Network was established in the early 1980s to replace NASA's worldwide network of ground tracking stations. It consists of a constellation of geosynchronous satellites, known as TDRS, which transmit data to and from ground stations on Earth for NASA missions and other orbiting satellites, including the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. According to NASA, the addition of TDRS-M will enable the Space Network to support space communication well into the next decade. With the TDRS-M, there are now 10 TDRS spacecraft in orbit around Earth.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/08/18/atlas-5-rocket-delivers-nasa-data-router-into-space-for-astronauts-and-satellites/

Atlas 5 rocket delivers NASA data router into space for astronauts and satellites
August 18, 2017 Justin Ray

CAPE CANAVERAL — Bulking up NASA's constellation of tracking stations in the sky that provides critical links between orbiting spacecraft and ground control, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket successfully deployed a new communications hub in space today.

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite series, a program that revolutionized mission operations for U.S. human spaceflight and robotic craft, is now in its fourth decade and this morning orbited its 12th satellite.

"TDRS is a critical national asset have because of its importance to the space station and all of our science missions, primarily the Hubble Space Telescope and Earth science missions that use TDRS," said Tim Dunn, NASA's TDRS-M launch director.

With its main engine running at full throttle, the Atlas 5 booster lifted off at 8:29 a.m. EDT (1229 GMT) fr om Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral.

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The 191-foot-tall rocket, generating 860,000 pounds of thrust, aimed eastward and accelerated out of the atmosphere with NASA's TDRS-M spacecraft.

Within just five minutes, the rocket had shed 92 percent of its liftoff weight and transitioned to the high-energy Centaur upper stage.


TDRS-M is 12th craft in the series to be orbited. Credit: NASA/ILS/ULA

An elliptical parking orbit was achieved within 18 minutes of takeoff, beginning a 90-minute quiescent coast higher through space to reach the optimum conditions for the second burn by Centaur.

That minute-long boost over the Indian Ocean propelled the 7,610-pound payload into a customized high-perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The spacecraft was deployed by the launcher at T+plus 1 hour, 53 minutes to cheers and handshakes all around.

"Obviously, there is a lot of relief on the team right now, a lot of celebration, a lot of excitement. I love spacecraft separation. It is the best part of a launch campaign," said Dunn.

"So many hours are spent getting to this exact point when you know you have a healthy satellite that just separated fr om the launch vehicle about to go do its mission that it was intended for."

It marked the 143rd consecutive successful Atlas program launch spanning more than two decades, the 72nd for an Atlas 5 and the 120th for United Launch Alliance.

What's more, it was the 15th NASA use of the Atlas 5 and 28th mission conducted by ULA for NASA, all done successfully.

The Centaur, with its job completed, was expected to fire its engine later to reach a safe disposal orbit with a perigee above the usable low-earth orbit regime and apogee beneath the geosynchronous belt to guard against orbital debris.

Contact was established with TDRS-M, allowing controllers to determine that the satellite was healthy following arrival in space. The craft was the 76th and final to be built on Boeing's 601 satellite design, and it's successful launch was the 68th for the program dating back 25 years.

The first order of business for TDRS-M will be severing the straps that held the craft's two 15-foot-diameter graphite composite mesh antennas partially curled like taco shells to fit within the rocket's nose cone for launch.

"We need them unfurled and full shape to provide the RF performance for the communications services that our mission is founded upon. So one of the first things that happen after we release fr om the Centaur is we cut the furling straps and unfurl our reflectors It will take a period of a month or so to what we call 'relax' and return to their original shape to give us the full performance," said Dave Littmann, NASA's TDRS project manager.

While giving the antennas time to relax, orbit-raising maneuvers using the satellite's onboard main engine will be conducted over the next two weeks to achieve a circular geosynchronous orbit over the equator.

"We need about five burns that will take us from the drop-off spot to the geosynchronous location wh ere we will be operating the spacecraft for its lifetime," Littmann said.

"From there, we go through the deployments. We unfold the solar arrays and deploy our antennas — those unfurled big reflectors and the Space-to-Ground Link antenna, it's smaller but still critical to the mission. The SGL is the lifeline to the ground. That process takes 3-5 days."

If all goes well, control of the satellite will be handed from Boeing's facilities in California to NASA's White Sands Complex in New Mexico about three weeks after launch to begin on-orbit checkout.

"The government hasn't accepted the spacecraft yet. All of the on-orbit testing (is done) from the White Sands Complex with a Boeing team to check the spacecraft out — the bus and the payload — to make sure all of our RF communications services are ready. About four months after launch, in January or so, we will look to schedule an On-Orbit Acceptance Review to review all of the data accumulated   from the test program and determine, hopefully, that the government is in position to accept the spacecraft from Boeing. For the whole period to that point the spacecraft is Boeing's responsibility," Littmann said.

All of that testing will occur with the satellite parked over 150 degrees West longitude. Once NASA takes acceptance of the craft, the agency's Space Network assumes ownership, performs its own one-month checkout and then repositions the asset, likely over the Atlantic Ocean Region, Littmann said.

The $408 million TDRS-M was built and launched with the sole purpose to extend the useful life of NASA's constant communications infrastructure, supporting the astronauts around-the-clock aboard the International Space Station, supplying contact with the Hubble Space Telescope and transmitting the data from almost 40 science spacecraft studying Earth's environment and space.

"The (TDRS-M) spacecraft continues our ability to provide a data path for communications and tracking services from all of the different users out there in orbit today from human spaceflight component of NASA to robotic missions," Littmann said.

Looking down from the vantage point of geosynchronous orbit, the TDRS network receives signals from vehicles like the space station flying at a mere 250 miles above Earth and routes the telemetry, voice, video and science information to a dedicated ground terminal for delivery to Houston.

No matter wh ere the space station is located at any given moment, TDRS has the outpost in sight for the two-way communications.

"It works really well...We are almost spoiled now with how much communication we have. It really makes the science output and the ability to operate space station as miraculous as it is," said astronaut Stephen Bowen.

The TDRS system was born in 1973 to keep astronauts and satellites in constant contact with mission controllers, closing the substantial gaps every orbit as spacecraft passed into and out of range of ground stations scattered around the globe.

When TDRS first became operational in late 1983, the initial space shuttle mission to use the system relayed more information to the ground during its 10 days in orbit than in all 39 previous American manned spaceflights.

Relying on dispersed ground stations was a costly requirement and subjected the sites' operators to dangerous conditions in far-off countries, yet the system provided only 15 percent communications capability per orbit.


Credit: NASA

NASA currently has 7 operational TDRS satellites — two launched by the space shuttle in 1993 and 1995 and five Atlas-launched birds from 2000 to 2014, plus two aged shuttle-era craft from 1988 and 1991 now held in reserve with diminished capabilities.

"We need at least 6 active spacecraft and one active spare, so we need at least 7 spacecraft to be ready to meet all of our mission requirements. The first generation has some residual capability, (but) TDRS-M is so critical," said Badri Younes, deputy associate administrator for Space Communications and Navigation at NASA Headquarters.

A successful TDRS-M extends the projected life of the constellation to the mid-2020s.

While TDRS got its start by supporting space shuttle missions, today's network is even busier with the space station that's been continuously staffed for nearly 17 years.

"The thing we saw during the shuttle era was that when a shuttle would go up on a mission, the load on the TDRS system was extremely high. But once it landed that spike in the load would dissipate. We would see the spikes mission by mission," Littmann said.

"What we see today is a little different because those spikes are no longer there, but with the space station being in continuous coverage wh ere we have astronauts 24/7 in orbit. TDRS serves the human spaceflight community in that manner, the comm to the space station is more continuous.

"The spikes have changed to a continuous level to support the International Space Station activities, as well as TDRS developed additional capabilities over the years that it now tracks and provides telemetry for various launch vehicles. That's been added to the mix. The overall usage has remained."

The Atlas 5 rocket that launched TDRS-M, for example, used the constellation's K and L satellites to relay data back to the Cape this morning. Delta 2 and Delta 4 rockets and Orbital ATK's Minotaur 4 rely on TDRS too.

TDRS-M completes the third generation of spacecraft constructed for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System as we know it today. What comes next is being debated, including possibilities of a "technology refresh" by adding laser communications to the follow-on program.


An artist's concept of the TDRS constellation. Credit: NASA

However, there is no rush to field the next era of relay satellites. The current TDRS fleet is expected to operate well into the next decade.

Only two of the six shuttle-launched TDRS satellites have been retired, the rest are functional more than 25 years since their deployment and outliving their design lives by exceptional margins.

"Just because the 15 years comes to end doesn't mean we stop operating the spacecraft. Like your electronics or laptop at home, you use it until it doesn't work anymore," said Paul Buchanan, TDRS deputy project manager.

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For NASA's Launch Services Program, the team has seven high-profile launches scheduled over the next year, including missions to Mars and the Sun, two weather satellites and a planet-hunter.
-Delta 2/JPSS-1 is NET Nov. 9 at 2:48 a.m. local from Vandenberg
-Pegasus/ICON is Nov. 14 at 10:28 a.m. Eastern from Kwajalein
-Atlas 5/GOES-S is March 1 at 5:01 a.m. at Cape
-Falcon/TESS is NET March 20 at Cape
-Atlas 5/InSight is May 5 at 4:10 a.m. local from Vandenberg
-Delta 4-Heavy/Parker Solar Probe is July 31 at 10:07 a.m. at Cape
-Delta 2/IceSat-2 is Sept. 12 at 5:45 a.m. local from Vandenberg

The next two United Launch Launch Alliance Atlas 5 flights will deploy critical-but-classified security payloads for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

NROL-42 will fly from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California using a powerful 541-configured rocket with four side-mounted solid-fuel boosters and NROL-52 occurs from Cape Canaveral on a 421 with two solids.

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 1 ч. назад

TDRS M cataloged as 42915, in a 4647 x 35753 km x 26.2 deg geotransfer orbit. Centaur in 4404 x 34753 km

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/tdrs/2017/08/18/nasas-newest-tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-arrives-in-orbit/

NASA's Newest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite Arrives in Orbit
Posted on August 18, 2017 at 12:24 pm by Anna Heiney.


A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Sandra Joseph

The constellation of satellites charged with maintaining critical communications between NASA's Space Network and Earth-orbiting spacecraft is about to be expanded by one.

Joining the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) System is TDRS-M, the third and final in a series of third-generation TDRS spacecraft that have taken their places in orbit in recent years. TDRS-M launched this morning aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket with a liftoff at 8:29 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.

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With light winds, few clouds and temperatures in the low 80s, weather posed no threat to launch. The countdown proceeded smoothly throughout the early morning hours and into propellant-loading operations, when engineers noted an issue with the Centaur upper stage's liquid oxygen (LOX) chilldown system.

"As we were chilling the Centaur engine down, we noticed one of the chilldown parameters on the thermal conditioning for the LOX side was not quite getting cold enough" in time to permit liftoff at 8:03 a.m., when the 40-minute launch window opened, NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn explained.

The team methodically worked to resolve the issue while maximizing that window of opportunity, and the issue was resolved in time for launch officials to set up for a successful liftoff at 8:29 a.m.


Photo at right: Just before sunrise at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket vents liquid oxygen propellant vapors during fueling for the lift off of NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M. Photo credit: NASA/Kenneth Allen

TDRS-M's predecessors, TDRS-K and TDRS-L, also launched on Atlas V rockets from the same launch complex in January 2013 and January 2014, respectively. Today's launch marked the 72nd liftoff of an Atlas V.

More than an hour and a half after launch, the TDRS-M spacecraft separated from the rocket's Centaur upper stage, heralding the end of the launch effort and the mission's beginning. Following several months of calibration and testing, TDRS-M will be renamed TDRS-13, and it will be eligible to begin supporting NASA's Space Network.

"Spacecraft separation is the best part of the launch campaign," Dunn said. "So many hours are put into getting to this exact point when you know you have a healthy satellite that just separated from the launch vehicle, about to go do its intended mission."

For further updates, visit http://www.nasa.gov/tdrs.

This entry was posted in TDRS-M on August 18, 2017 by Anna Heiney.

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NASA LIVE: TDRS-M Launch

Space Videos

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TDRS-M Spacecraft Separation

NASAKennedy

Опубликовано: 18 авг. 2017 г.

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