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Mishap threatens to delay launch of NASA communications satellite

Mishap threatens to delay launch of NASA communications satellite

WASHINGTON — NASA is continuing to investigate an incident during launch preparations for a communications satellite that threatens to delay its launch next month.
In a July 20 statement, NASA said it and spacecraft manufacturer Boeing were reviewing plans to replace an omnidirectional S-band antenna on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) M spacecraft. That antenna was apparently damaged July 14 during final closeout activities at an Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida.
TDRS-M was, at the time of the incident, being prepared for encapsulation into a payload fairing and installation onto a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. That rocket is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Aug. 3.
NASA, in both the July 20 update on the status of TDRS-M and the original July 15 statement about the processing incident, said that launch date remained under review. “An integrated launch team is assessing the Aug. 3 launch date,” NASA said in the July 20 statement, and did not state when a decision about either proceeding with or delaying the launch would be made.
Mishap threatens to delay launch of NASA communications satellite


Complicating that process is a separate and unrelated issue with ground support equipment for the spacecraft at the launch pad. NASA said it was “evaluating a possible electrostatic discharge event” affecting that equipment, but did not elaborate on the severity of the problem.
The TDRS-M satellite is equipped with two S-band omnidirectional antennas, located on the forward and aft sides of the spacecraft. Those antennas are used for tracking, telemetry and command of the satellite itself.
The geostationary orbit satellites are also equipped with two parabolic antennas for Ka-, Ku- and S-band communications, a phased-array antenna that supports multiple S-band users and a dedicated space-to-ground antenna. Those antennas support communications with the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope and other satellites in Earth orbit.
TDRS-M is the third and final satellite in a series built by Boeing under a NASA contract awarded in 2007. The contract originally included two satellites with options for two more. NASA executed the option for just one of the two additional satellites. TDRS-K, now known as TDRS-11, launched in January 2013 and TDRS-L, now TDRS-12, launched one year later.




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