TDRS-J, the third
Boeing-built replenishment spacecraft for NASA’s Tracking and Data
Relay Satellite fleet, was successfully launched tonight from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Boeing Satellite Systems, a unit of The Boeing Co.,
built the modified Boeing 601 satellite for NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center of Greenbelt, Md. The launch took place at 9:42 p.m. EST (6:42
p.m., PST; 2:42 a.m. Dec. 5 GMT). The spacecraft’s first signals were
acquired about 59 minutes later by NASA’s Deep Space Network ground
station in Canberra, Australia, confirming that its systems are
operating normally.
“The TDRS spacecraft are the lifeline of mankind in space, and
TDRS-J will add significant new capability to the TDRS fleet,” said
Randy Brinkley, president of Boeing Satellite Systems, the El Segundo,
Calif.-based satellite-manufacturing arm of Boeing Integrated Defense
Systems. “Along with TDRS-H and TDRS-I, this new spacecraft will help
maintain and expand the specialized space communications capabilities
of the TDRS constellation, which has served numerous national and
international missions since 1983.”
The TDRS fleet is unique in its ability to follow the motion of
fast moving satellites, providing nearly continuous communication with
controllers and researchers on Earth. In addition to the space
shuttle, other NASA programs that use the TDRS fleet include the
Hubble Space Telescope, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission,
Landsat, the Earth Observing System, Expendable Launch Vehicle
tracking, and the International Space Station.
A unit of The Boeing Co., Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one
of the world’s largest space and defense businesses. With headquarters
in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $23 billion
business. It provides systems solutions to its global military,
government and commercial customers.
It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance; the world’s largest military aircraft manufacturer;
the world’s largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of
space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S.
missile defense; NASA’s largest contractor; and a global leader in
launch services.
