NASA's Newest Communications Satellite Safely Reaches Geo Orbit

Lift off of TDRS-J aboard the last Atlas IIA rocket occurred Dec. 4 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. at 9:42 p.m. EST. Spacecraft separation took place at 10:12 p.m. and NASA acquired a healthy signal from the satellite as it passed over the Canberra Australia ground station at 10:41 p.m. During the next 60 days or so the satellite manufacturer Boeing Satellite Systems will conduct on-orbit checkout of TDRS-J from their control center located in El Segundo, Calif. Afterwards, post-acceptance testing will be performed at 150 degrees West longitude by NASA controllers at the White Sands Complex in New Mexico. After acceptance, TDRS-J will be redesignated TDRS-10 and placed into service.

For more information on the TDRS project, go to: http://tdrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/Tdrsproject/