TDRS-11

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº:

Launch data: Designation  39070 / 13004A Launch date  31 Jan 2013 - 01:48 UT  (8:48 p.m. EST) Launch site  CC, SLC-41 Launch vehicle  Atlas-5/401 (AV-036) Mission  Gov.: Communication Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee  35732 x 35844 km Eccentricity  1,33E-03 Inclination  7.0 deg Period  1436.18 min

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  Boeing Satellite Systems Platform  BSS-601HP Operator  NASA Mass at launch  3454 kg Dry Mass  1600 kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment   Solar array  2 deployable solar arrays Stabilization   Propulsion  R-4D-11-300 DC power  00 (EOL) Design lifetime  15 yrs - still active

This illustration shows TDRS K separating from the Centaur upper stage. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The craft in the cleanroom facilities at the Astrotech complex in Titusville, Florida on Jan. 29.

Satellite is encapsulated in the two-piece nose cone of the Atlas 5 rocket.

Location:

Description:

• 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.
• The satellites incorporate a modern design based on flight-proven performance. The three previous TDRS satellites were based on Boeing 702-class electronics, which are still the standard for the newest spacecraft Boeing is building today. Additionally, Boeing has modernized the technologies in the payload, power and propulsion subsystems to current state-of-the-art technologies being used in other Boeing-built spacecraft.

Mission details:

• A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, capping its quickest pre-flight processing flow to date, fired into the nighttime sky from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 at 8:48 p.m. EST (0148 GMT).
• At just 27 days from the start of stacking to main engine ignition, ULA's efforts at "span reductions" bore fruit by besting the previous quick mark by two weeks. The launch provider says the improved tempo will heighten efficiencies, increase available slots in the manifest and cut costs.
• NASA's new-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS K, was launched on Jan 31 by a Lockheed Martin/ULA Atlas V 401 from Cape Canaveral. The new TDRS is based on the Boeing/El Segundo HS-601 spacecraft bus. Atlas flight AV-036 entered a 183 x 24854 km x 26.5 deg parking orbit 18 min after launch, according to data provided by Justin Ray (spaceflightnow.com). The second burn at 0328 UTC reached a 4336 x 35791 km x 25.7 deg orbit and the Centaur separated at 0334 UTC. TDRS K will use its R-4D propulsion system to reach geostationary orbit and become the operational TDRS 11. By Feb 10, TDRS K was in a 35422 x 35787 km x 7.1 deg orbit over 150 deg West, drifting east at 2 deg/day.

Satellite tracking: