National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Media Kit
TDRS-J Mission
Points of
Contact
Dwayne Brown
Office of Space Flight
(202) 358-1726
NASA HQ
Susan Hendrix
Public Affairs
(301) 286-7745
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
George Diller
Launch Operations
(321) 867-2468
NASA Kennedy Space Center
Col. Ryan
Public Affairs
(321) 494-7731
Cape Canaveral AFS
Fran Slimmer Media
Relations
(571) 633-7462
Int’l Launch Svs., Lockheed Martin
Julie Andrews
Media Relations
(321) 853-1567
Lockheed Martin
Richard Esposito
Media Relations
(310) 335-6314
Boeing Satellite Systems
Table of Contents
TDRS-J
Pre-launch News Release
Lockheed
Martin Launch Vehicle Diagram
NASA
Program/Project Management
For
Release:
Dwayne
Brown
November 26, 2002
Headquarters,
Washington
(Phone:
202/358-1726)
Susan
Hendrix
Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
(Phone:
301/286-7745)
RELEASE:
02-232
ADVANCED
COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE TO SPEED UP SPACE-BASED
DATA
NASA is ready to launch the third advanced
Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, named TDRS-J, which will have the ability
to transfer data 5,000 times faster than a computer's 56K modem, transmit
near real-time audio and high-resolution digital video from Earth-orbiting
spacecraft and provide tracking services for expendable launch vehicles.
TDRS-J
is scheduled to launch Dec. 4 aboard an Atlas IIA rocket from Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station, Fla., at the beginning of a 40-minute launch window, which
opens at 9:42 p.m. EST.
The
new trio of satellites joins forces with the original TDRS constellation to
support the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope
and a host of other Earth-orbiting spacecraft.
"This
state-of-the-art communications system will support NASA's mission by providing
a communications backbone for astronauts aboard the Shuttle and Space Station,
as well as relay vital data from several Earth and space science missions,"
said Robert Jenkens Jr., TDRS Project Manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center, Greenbelt, Md.
TDRS-J
features the following capabilities:
* S-band Single Access: Two 15-foot diameter
steerable antennas, used at the 2.0 to 2.3 GHz (gigahertz) band, supply robust
communications to user satellites with smaller antennas and receive telemetry
from expendable launch vehicles during launch.
* Ku-band Single Access: The same two antennas,
operating from 13.7 to 15.0 GHz, provide higher bandwidth for user satellites,
provide high-resolution digital television for Space Shuttle video communications
and can quickly transfer large volumes of data from tape or solid-state data
recorders aboard NASA scientific spacecraft.
* Ka-band Single Access: This new higher-frequency
service, which operates from 22.5 to 27.5 Gigahertz and increases data rate
capabilities to 800 megabits per second, will provide communications for future
missions requiring higher bandwidths, such as multi-spectral instruments for
Earth science applications.
* Multiple Access: This system is capable of receiving signals
from five user spacecraft simultaneously at rates up to 3 megabits per second,
while transmitting to a single user at up to 300 kilobits per second.
The system operates using a phased-array antenna in the 2.0 to 2.3
GHz range.
For
two weeks following the launch, transfer orbit operations will boost the 7,039-pound
(3,196-kilogram) satellite into a geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above
the Earth's equator. Upon completion
of on-orbit testing and acceptance, TDRS-J will be renamed TDRS-10.
Fully
deployed, the satellite measures approximately 69 feet long (21 meters) by
43 feet (13 meters) wide. The satellite's silicon celled solar arrays will
generate 2,300 watts of on-orbit power and a nickel-hydrogen battery will
supply power during solar eclipses.
The
TDRS replenishment program cost approximately $800 million and includes three
satellites, expendable launch vehicles, upgrades to the White Sands Complex
in Las Cruces, N.M., and NASA program costs. Boeing Satellite Systems, El
Segundo, Calif., designed, built and tested TDRS-H, I and J for NASA under a fixed-price contract.
Additional
information about TDRS is available on the Internet at:
http://tdrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/Tdrsproject/
http://nmsp.gsfc.nasa.gov/tdrss/tdrsshome.html
-
end -
Media Services Information
NASA
TV, Audio and Web Coverage
NASA
TV will provide live commentary and coverage for the December 4 TDRS-J launch,
beginning at 8 p.m. EST through spacecraft separation. NASA TV coordinates are GE-2, transponder
9C at 85 degrees West longitude.
Launch
coverage will be carried on NASA’s “V” circuits, which can be accessed by
dialing 321-867-1220/1240/1260 or 7135.
NASA Kennedy Space Center will provide a live Web cast of the launch
at: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/
Pre-launch
Press Briefing
A
pre-launch press briefing for media attending the launch has been scheduled
for December 3 (L-1) at 3:30
p.m. EST
at the KSC Press Site, Launch Complex 39. Panelists will discuss spacecraft
and launch vehicle readiness, payload, timeline from spacecraft separation
through government acceptance, and how the second generation TDRS are helping
to achieve NASA’s mission/vision. A
launch day weather forecast also will be provided. The press briefing will
be carried live on NASA TV.
News
Center Staffing and Launch Status Reports
NASA
Public Affairs will staff the News Center at KSC (321-867-2468) beginning
on L-2 and continuing through launch and receipt of the initial signal from
the spacecraft. Recorded launch
status will be available beginning on L-2 through launch and receipt of initial
signal by dialing 321-867-2525 or 301-286-NEWS.
Launch
Media Credentials
News
media seeking launch accreditation are required to fax their requests in advance
of the launch to:
Bruce Buckingham, KSC/PAO
Kennedy News Center
KSC, FL
Fax: 321-867-2692
**For this launch, all media are required to submit an advance request
for accreditation to receive a badge at Gate 1 on launch day. Freelance writers
and photographers also must have a letter of assignment. All requests must
be received by COB on Tuesday, Dec. 3.*
Internet
Information
Information
about the launch and mission, as well as NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
System is available on the Internet at:
http://tdrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/Tdrsproject/
http://nmsp.gsfc.nasa.gov/tdrss/tdrsshome.html
Atlas IIA Launch Vehicle
Diagram
Cutaway of the Atlas IIA expendable launch
vehicle with TDRS-J stowed
inside the payload fairing.
(Illustration courtesy of
Lockheed Martin)
NASA
launched TDRS-H, the first of three replenishment satellites, on June 30,
2000 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. aboard an Atlas II rocket. A performance shortfall on the satellite’s
Multiple-Access phased array antenna, detected by Boeing Satellite System
(BSS) engineers on August 8, 2000, delayed acceptance until October 17, 2001.
NASA re-designated the spacecraft TDRS-8 and commissioned it into service
upon completion of on-orbit testing.
Shortly
after the TDRS-I launch on March 8, the NASA/BSS team detected a propulsion
subsystem pressure anomaly. After
a seven-month planning and recovery effort, TDRS-I safely reached geosynchronous
orbit on September 30. Controllers
successfully deployed all appendages in early October. NASA and BSS personnel are currently conducting
on-orbit tests of the spacecraft’s communications payloads and spacecraft
operations, which are scheduled to conclude sometime in December.
TDRS-H,
I, and J provides users with Ka-band Single Access. This new high frequency
service provides higher bandwidth, less interference with terrestrial communications,
and a lower user satellite equipment burden.
TDRS-J
also features S-band Multiple-Access, providing users with five return channels
(satellite to ground) and one multiple access forward channel (ground to user)
per TDRS. TDRS-H, I and J have been upgraded to three megabits per second
return versus 100 kilobits per second for the original TDRS1-7 fleet, and
up to 300 kilobits per second forward.
Boeing
Satellite Systems, Inc. of El Segundo, Calif., built TDRS-H, I and J for NASA
under a fixed price contract.
Spacecraft
Details:
Dimensions:
68 feet, 10 inches (21 meters) long
by 43 feet, five inches (13 meters) wide on orbit, fully deployed.
Weight:
Approximately
7,039
pounds at lift-off (3,196 kilograms) and 3,930 pounds (1,786 kilograms) at
beginning of on-orbit life.
Power:
Silicon
solar cell arrays generate 2,300 watts of power, and nickel-hydrogen batteries
supply spacecraft power during solar eclipses.
Spacecraft
Payload:
Each
satellite is comprised of the spacecraft bus, two solar arrays, two graphite
antenna reflectors, two radiators, payload module, space-ground link antenna,
multiple access return antenna, multiple access forward antenna, an Earth
sensor, and forward omni antenna.
A
new antenna reflector design for TDRS-H, I, and J consists of two 15-foot-diameter
graphite mesh antenna reflectors. The graphite combines shape memory with
flexibility. Shaped for maximum aperture efficiency, each reflector is folded
into a taco shape during launch then springs back to their original cupped
circular shape once on orbit. Weighing
less than 36 pounds (16 kilograms) each, the reflectors can be adjusted, or
actively tuned, on orbit.
TDRS-8*,
-I and –J offers the following services:
S-band
Single Access
–
·
Tunable
over a range of frequencies, including Multiple Access;
·
Provides
high gain support for a Multiple Access user satellite with degraded communications,
or can temporarily provide an increased data rate;
·
Provides
forward and return services to users at a particular location;
·
Provides
two-way communication during user satellite data recorder playbacks, or full-time
high-rate service to high-priority users such as the International Space Station
and Space Shuttle;
·
Transmits
at speeds up to 6 megabits per second (Mbps) return; 300 kilobits per second
(Kbps) forward data rates.
S-band
Multiple Access
–
·
Provides
five Multiple Access return channels (satellite to ground) and one Multiple
Access forward channel (ground to users) per spacecraft; (*Not fully functional
on TDRS-8)
·
Features
return services that use the same frequency (2287.5 MHz) and code division
multiple access to avoid interfering with each other;
·
TDRS-H,
I and J have been upgraded to 3 megabits per second return versus 100 kilobits
per second for the original TDRS, and up to 300 kilobits per second forward.
Ku-band
Single Access
–
·
Operates
at frequencies between 13.7 to 15.0 GHz, providing higher bandwidth for user
satellites with data rates to 300 megabits per second return and 25 megabits
per second forward;
·
The
rates support high-resolution digital television for Space Shuttle video communications;
·
Also
used to efficiently transfer large volumes of data from tape or solid-state
data recorders aboard numerous NASA scientific spacecraft.
Ka-band
Single Access
–
·
Features
a new, high-frequency service that has the capability to increase data rates
800* megabits per second for future missions with higher bandwidth communication
needs such as multi-spectral instruments for Earth science applications (*Note:
Data rates above 300 Mbps require additional ground station modifications);
·
Establishes
international compatibility with Japanese and European space relay programs,
allowing mutual support in case of emergencies;
·
High
frequency provides high bandwidth, less interference with terrestrial communications,
and lower user satellite equipment burden.
Satellite
Navigation –
In
addition
to telemetry, command and mission data communication services, TDRS-H, I and
J will continue to provide navigational data, which provides the location
and orbit of all user satellite.
Mission
Lifetime
– TDRS-H, -I and -J have a specified mission lifetime of 11 years,
with expendables (fuel) for up to 14 years of on-orbit storage.
Pre-
and Post-Acceptance Testing
– Boeing Satellite Systems is responsible for pre-acceptance testing, performed
from NASA’s White Sands Complex while the satellite is located at 150-degree
West longitude. Upon NASA acceptance,
each satellite goes through post-acceptance testing, also performed from the
White Sands Complex, and under the guidance of Goddard’s Mission Services
Program Office.
Launch
Vehicle
– Lockheed
Martin Atlas IIA rocket.
Launch
Site
– Launch Complex 36A, Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch
Date and Time
– December 4 during a
40-minute launch window, which opens at 9:42 p.m. EST.
Spacecraft
Separation
– Launch
+ 30 minutes.
Acquisition
of Signal
– Launch + about 65 minutes, via a ground station in Canberra, Australia.
Cost
–
TDRS-H, -I and –J spacecraft and White Sands Complex modifications cost approximately
$485 million,
or about $800* million for the entire program (e.g., three satellites, expendable
launch vehicles, White Sands Complex modifications and NASA program costs).
(*Cost updated in October 2002)
Mission
Oversight
– Upon government acceptance, Goddard’s Space Network Project Office will
assume mission oversight.
TDRS
Operational Locations -
