 TDRS-M at the Astrotech payload processing facility | |
| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2017-047A |
| SATCATno. | 42915 |
| Mission duration | Planned: 15 years Elapsed: 7 years, 6 months, 18 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | BSS-601HP |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Launch mass | 3,454 kg (7,615 lb)[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 18 August 2017, 12:29 (2017-08-18UTC12:29) UTC[2] |
| Rocket | Atlas V 401 |
| Launch site | Cape CanaveralSLC-41 |
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geosynchronous orbit |
 | |
TDRS-13, known before launch asTDRS-M, is an Americancommunications satellite operated byNASA as part of theTracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The thirteenthTracking and Data Relay Satellite, it is the third and final third-generation spacecraft to be launched, following the 2014 launch ofTDRS-12.
TDRS-M was constructed byBoeing, based on theBSS-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 providingS,Ku andKa 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 twosolar arrays, which produce 2.8 to 3.2 kilowatts of power, while anR-4D-11-300 engine is present to provide propulsion.[1]
In 2015, NASA contracted withUnited Launch Alliance to launch TDRS-M on anAtlas V 401 for $132.4 million. The spacecraft was launched on 18 August 2017 at 12:29 UTC (08:29local time)[2] fromSpace Launch Complex-41 atCape Canaveral Air Force Station.[4]
On 15 July 2017, The TDRS-M space communications satellite was damaged during the encapsulation process atAstrotech Space Operations.[5]
According to NASA's press release, "NASA and Boeing are reviewing an incident that occurred during final spacecraft closeout activities on theTracking Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M) mission at Astrotech Space Operations inTitusville, Florida, on July 14, involving theOmni S-band antenna."[6] This incident did result in a launch delay.[7]
During a pre-launch news conference Aug. 17 at the Kennedy Space Center, a Boeing manager said the antenna suffered some "minor damage" when a crane bumped it. "It was prepping to the lift the satellite, and the crane did come down and touch it," said James Wilson III, Boeing program manager for NASA and civil space programs.
