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Raumfahrt - Erfolgreicher Start von Atlas V mit TDRS-Mission der NASA

16.05.2017



Atlas V 401 Configuration RocketRocket/Payload: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 configuration vehicle will launch the Tracking Data Relay System (TDRS)-M payload for NASA.

Date/Site/Launch Time:  Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. 

Live Broadcast: Stay tuned for how you can watch live.

Mission Description: The addition of TDRS-M to the Space Network (SN) will provide the ability to support space communication for an additional 15 years. The network consists of TDRS satellites that transmit data to and from ground stations on Earth for NASA missions and expendable launch vehicles. Without the Space Network, scientists, engineers and control room staff would be unable to readily access data from missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. 

Launch Notes: This launch will be ULA’s fifth of 2017 and 120th overall. A ULA Atlas V also launched TDRS-K mission in 2013 and TDRS-L in 2014. This mission will mark the 72nd Atlas V rocket since its inaugural launch in 2002.

Quelle: ULA

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Update: 17.07.2017

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TDRS-M SPACECRAFT DAMAGED DURING CLOSEOUT ACTIVITIES
JASON RHIANJULY 16TH, 2017

An “incident” with NASA’s TDRS-M occurred during closeout activities on Friday, July 14. Photo Credit: Vikash Mahadeo / SpaceFlight Insider

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — During closeout activities for the final third-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M), an “incident” occurred to the spacecraft’s Omni S-band antenna. This occurred on Friday, July 14, about two-and-a-half weeks prior to the satellite’s scheduled launch.

Both NASA and the satellite’s manufacturer, Boeing, are reviewing what happened at the Astrotech Space Operations building in Titusville, Florida, where the satellite was being readied for flight.

TDRS-M, which will be renamed TDRS-13 upon reaching orbit, was set to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida on August 3.

At present, it is unclear if this incident will impact the planned launch date with a recent statement on NASA’s TDRS-M Status Update page noting: “The mission team is developing a plan to assess flight acceptance and the schedule forward.”

Quelle: ULA

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Update: 18.07.2017

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NASA's TDRS satellite damaged weeks before Atlas V launch from Cape Canaveral

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In a July 13, 2017 photo provided by NASA, the payload fairing for NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M, is inspected prior to encapsulating the spacecraft, inside the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Fla. NASA said Monday, July 17, 2017, that one of the antennas on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, was damaged last Friday. The mishap could delay what was supposed to be an Aug. 3 liftoff aboard an Atlas V (five) rocket. (Glenn Benson/NASA via AP)

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A NASA communications satellite slated for an August launch atop an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral was damaged last Friday, according to the agency.

NASA said an antenna on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-M, spacecraft was damaged at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville during closeout activities. A NASA official did not provide additional details on the nature of incident at the processing facility, but did say teams were still targeting August 3 for the launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Officials from NASA and spacecraft manufacturer Boeing are reviewing the incident and the flight schedule in the event of a delay.

NASA's TDRS network supports space communications. The satellites transmit data to and from the ground for missions and launch vehicles, allowing scientists, engineers and managers to communicate with spacecraft such as the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope.

The last TDRS mission, named TDRS-L, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on an Atlas V rocket in January 2014.

Quelle: Florida Today

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Update: 21.07.2017

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Atlas V First Stage is Lifted for TDRS-M

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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket is scheduled to launch the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M. It will be the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop the ULA Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 on Aug. 3, 2017 at 9:02 a.m. EDT.

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TDRS-M Status Update - July 20, 2017

 

 

NASA and Boeing are reviewing plans to safely replace an antenna on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M). The satellite’s Omni S-band antenna was damaged during spacecraft closeout activities July 14 at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida. The TDRS team is also evaluating a possible electrostatic discharge event involving spacecraft mechanical ground support equipment at the launch site. An integrated launch team is assessing the Aug. 3 launch date on an United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. TDRS-M is the latest satellite to support the space segment of NASA’s Space Network.


Status Update: July 15, 2017

NASA and Boeing are reviewing an incident that occurred during final spacecraft closeout activities on the Tracking Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M) mission at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, on July 14, involving the Omni S-band antenna. The mission team is developing a plan to assess flight acceptance and the schedule forward. These additional activities are under evaluation for a planned TDRS-M launch Aug. 3, 2017, on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 25.07.2017

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Broken antenna delays launch of NASA communications satellite

It was originally scheduled for August 3rd

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NASA is postponing the launch of one of its communications satellites after an antenna on the vehicle was somehow damaged during mission preparations over a week ago. That satellite is the TDRS-M, for Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, and it was scheduled to launch on August 3rd from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on top of an Atlas V rocket made by the United Launch Alliance. But now, NASA, ULA, and Boeing — the manufacturer of the satellite — are trying to figure out a new time to launch the probe in August, so the satellite’s antenna can be replaced before then.

The TDRS-M satellite is meant to join a whole fleet of other TDRS satellites already in space that make up part of NASA’s “Space Network.” These probes are crucial for helping the agency communicate with its various spacecraft in lower Earth orbit, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. NASA used to completely rely on ground-based radio stations to communicate with orbiting vehicles, but that didn’t allow for 24/7 communication. The TDRS satellites help to provide near continuous communication instead: they sit in a super high orbit 22,000 miles up called geosynchronous orbit, and they help relay communications between spacecraft in lower orbits and the ground below.

Once TDRS-M is in orbit, it will be the 10th active TDRS satellite in the Space Network. But for now, it’s unclear when that will happen. NASA did not say how the antenna on TDRS-M was damaged nor how long it will take to replace the instrument. Meanwhile, NASA says it’s investigating a “possible electrostatic discharge event” that may have affected equipment needed to support the spacecraft from the ground. However, the agency did not elaborate on what that meant or when that situation would be resolved.

Quelle: The Verge

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Update: 4.08.2017

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Launch of Atlas V 401 with payload TDRS-M

Mission Live Updates

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Aug 20 - Atlas V 401 : TDRS-M Launch site Cape Canaveral AFB, FL
Launch Date Aug 20
From Launch Pad LC-41
Launch Window : 7:56am-8:36am Eastern (11:56-12:36 GMT)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the latest spacecraft in NASA's Tracking Data Relay Satellite network.  

TDRS-M marks the third member of the current third generation of TDRS satellites, the inaugural contracts for which were signed between NASA and Boeing in December 2007. 

The Atlas V will fly in the 401 configuration with a single core booster, no solid rocket motors, a single Centaur upper stage and a 4 metre payload faring.
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Quelle: AS
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Update: 16.08.2017
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Weather OK for Friday Atlas V rocket launch of NASA communications satellite

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(Photo: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

Weather conditions are mostly favorable for Friday's planned launch of NASA's newest communications satellite on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

Forecasters with the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron on Tuesday said conditions were 70 percent "go" for the 8:03 a.m. launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Thick and cumulus clouds were listed as the primary concerns for the 40-minute window at Launch Complex 41. Similar weather conditions are expected if the mission carrying the latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, labeled TDRS-M, is delayed to Saturday.

The 191-foot-tall Atlas V rocket is expected to roll out to the pad from the Vertical Integration Facility at 9 a.m. Wednesday, a ULA official said.

The Boeing-built TDRS-M will help facilitate communications between the ground and other NASA spacecraft, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station, and is expected to operate through the mid 2020s.

[SES will launch next satellite on previously flown SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket]

[Sen. Nelson: Space Coast 'coming alive,' could see two rocket launches a day]

Originally slated to launch in early August, the mission was delayed after the $408 million spacecraft suffered antenna damage during a mid-July crane operation at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville. A NASA official confirmed that the antenna had to be swapped before launching to its 22,300-mile orbit above Earth.

 

But the spacecraft isn't the only notable part of the TDRS-M mission – Friday's launch marks a return to flight of sorts for Atlas V, which hasn't seen a Space Coast launch since April when it vaulted an Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Atlas V, which will not feature any strap-on solid rocket motors, will take TDRS-M to a geosynchronous transfer orbit with the help of ULA's Centaur upper stage. It will mark the 37th mission for an Atlas V rocket in this configuration.

Mission managers are expected to provide an update on the launch Thursday morning.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook at @EmreKelly.

Launch Friday

  • Rocket: United Launch Alliance Atlas V
  • Mission: Launch of NASA's TDRS-M communications satellite
  • Launch Time: 8:03 a.m.
  • Launch Window: 40 minutes
  • Launch Complex: 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
  • Join floridatoday.com starting at 7:00 a.m. Friday for countdown chat and updates, including streaming of ULA's webcast.

Quelle: Florida Today

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Update: 18.08.2017

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Atlas V rocket launch Friday: NASA satellite ready for rendezvous with siblings

Mission profile: Atlas V set to launch NASA's TDRS-M satellite

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is set to launch NASA's newest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, named TDRS-M. United Launch Alliance

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NASA's latest communications satellite will fly past the watchful gaze of its in-orbit siblings thanks to a boost from a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket scheduled to lift off from the Space Coast on Friday.

The 8:03 a.m. attempt from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station will take the agency's newest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, known as TDRS-M, to a 22,300-mile orbit to rendezvous with the rest of its constellation, which facilitates ground-to-space communications for a variety of spacecraft.

TDRS-K and TDRS-L, also launched on Atlas V rockets in 2013 and 2014, will observe and transmit telemetry as the youngest sibling lifts off on the 191-foot-tall rocket from Launch Complex 41 to favorable skies.

"We made a comment at the flight readiness review about what TDRS-M might think of that, knowing its two siblings were going to watch over seeing it come up," said Dave Littmann, TDRS-M project manager, during a news conference at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. "That generated a little smile across the team."

[SpaceX launches NASA cargo to ISS, lands Falcon 9 at Cape]

[Schedule of upcoming Florida rocket launches]

The Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron expects 80 percent "go" conditions during the 40-minute launch window on Friday, citing thick clouds as the only concern. A delay to Saturday would see similar weather conditions.

 

The constellation of Boeing-built satellites, which currently includes six fully functional spacecraft and one spare, have had a mostly behind-the-scenes role over the years – communications to and from the International Space Station and spectacular images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, for example, are all relayed through the TDRS network.

Friday's launch will take the last of the program's spacecraft to orbit, which likely won't need new relaying capability until around 2025, according to Badri Younes, NASA's deputy associate administrator for space communications and navigation.

"TDRS-M is going to be critical to our future operations and the future of our space network," Younes said during the news conference.

The $408 million satellite, however, hasn't been without challenges – it was damaged in mid-July when a crane made contact with it at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, pushing back the early August launch date.

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Florida Today

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Update: Erfolgreicher Start von Atlas V mit TDRS-M

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Quelle: NASA

 

 

 

 

 

 
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