News media are invited to view NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M) spacecraft and interview project and launch program officials at 10 a.m. EDT Thursday, July 13, at the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida.

Participants in the briefing will include representatives from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; the Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida; and United Launch Alliance (ULA).

TDRS-M is scheduled to lift off on a ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 3 at the opening of a 40-minute launch window that extends from 9:02 to 9:42 p.m. EDT.

This event is open to U.S. citizens only. A government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license, is required to participate. In addition, proof of U.S. citizenship also is required, such as a passport or birth certificate.

All news media must RSVP for this event no later than Monday, July 10, by emailing ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. If an RSVP is not received for each attending media representative, you will not be approved to participate in the press opportunity.

Registered U.S. media may proceed directly to Astrotech July 13, which is located in the Spaceport Florida Industrial Park, 1515 Chaffee Drive in Titusville. Access will be available starting at 9:30 a.m., and the event will begin at 10 a.m.

The addition of TDRS-M to the fleet will provide the Space Network (SN) the ability to support space communications to the mid-2020s. 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.

Full clean-room attire must be worn during the media opportunity and will be furnished. Media should not wear perfume, cologne or makeup. Long pants and closed-toe shoes must be worn. No shorts or skirts will be permitted. Some camera equipment may be identified by Boeing contamination control specialists as having to be cleaned before being taken into the high bay facility. Alcohol wipes will be provided. All camera equipment must be self-contained, and no portable lights are allowed. Flash photography will not be permitted; however, the facility has adequate metal halide lighting for pictures. Wireless microphones also are not permitted inside the high bay.

Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems in El Segundo, California., built TDRS-M. NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation Program, part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, is responsible for the TDRS network. NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management. United Launch Alliance provides the Atlas V rocket and launch service.

For more information about TDRS-M, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/tdrs