Tracking and data relay satellite: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:52, 18 August 2017

Revision as of 09:15, 21 August 2017

Line 1:

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2014}}

{{Redirect|TDRS|the record label|TDRS Music}}

[[File:TDRS Heart of Communication.ogv|thumb|350px|The launch of TDRS-K begins the replenishment of the fleet through the development and deployment of the next generation spacecraft.]]

[[File:Tracking Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Orbital Fleet Communicating with User Spacecraft.ogg|thumb|350px|This visualization begins by showing how a typical spacecraft (NIMBUS-7) communicated with the ground before TDRS.]]

[[File:Tracking Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Orbital Fleet Communicating with User Spacecraft 2017 - 360 video.webm|thumb|Visualization depicting TDRS satellites communicating with customer satellites.]]

A '''tracking and data relay satellite''' ('''TDRS''') is a type of [[communications satellite]] that forms part of the [[TDRSS|Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System]] (TDRSS) used by [[NASA]] and other United States government agencies for communications to and from independent "User Platforms" such as [[satellites]], balloons, aircraft, the [[International Space Station]], and remote bases like the [[Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station]]. This system was designed to replace an existing worldwide network of ground stations that had supported all of NASA's [[Human space flight|manned flight missions]] and unmanned satellites in low-Earth orbits. The primary system design goal was to increase the amount of time that these spacecraft were in communication with the ground and improve the amount of data that could be transferred. These TDRSS satellites are all designed and built to be launched to and function in [[geosynchronous orbit]], {{convert|35786|km|mi|abbr=on}} above the surface of the Earth.