TDRS-K, which will be renamed TDRS-11 after becoming operational, is an American communications satellite which will be operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The eleventh Tracking and Data Relay Satellite to be launched, it is the first third-generation spacecraft.
TDRS K (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite K) is the third generation of NASA's tracking stations placed on a geostationary orbit about 22,300 miles (35,888 km) over the Pacific Ocean. The satellite stood 26 feet (7.9 m) tall and weighed over 7,600 pounds (3,447 kg) at launch, including 3,700 pounds (1,678 kg) of maneuvering fuel loaded inside the craft. Once fully deployed in space, TDRS K's solar wings will stretch 69 feet (21.0 m) tip-to-tip to generate 3,220 watts of power and charge internal nickel-hydrogen batteries.
The primary physical feature of the satellite is two 15-foot(4.6-m)-diameter flexible graphite mesh antenna dishes that are folded like taco shells for launch, then spring into shape once released in orbit. They offer gimbal tracking of targeted spacecraft flying beneath the satellite, providing high-gain communications to the station, Hubble and other craft for vital contacts and data dumps. S-band, Ka-band and Ku-band are the frequencies supported through the TDRS network. Boeing designed, developed and tested the spacecraft in El Segundo, Calif., and NASA provided the launch.
TDRS-K 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. 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.
Alternate Names
TDRS-11
Facts in Brief
Launch Date: 2012-01-31
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 401
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, United States
Mass: 3454.0 kg