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July 26th, 2017

NASA Doesn't Let a Damaged TDRS-M Antenna Get Them Down ... Plans for Launch



Photo of the TDRS-M satellite is courtesy of Boeing.

Emre Kelly of Florida Today offered the infosite's readers an update on the latest happenings for NASA's TDRS-M satellite launch.

According to the article, teams continue to review new launch opportunities for NASA's latest communications satellite after the spacecraft was damaged earlier this month in Titusville. The agency's final Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, labeled TDRS-M, was slated for a 9:02 a.m. launch on August 3 via a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral AFS before sustaining antenna damage on July 14 at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville.

A tentative schedule suggests that teams are now targeting no earlier than August 10 for the mission from Launch Complex 41, but that date has not yet been confirmed. A NASA official on Monday said the Boeing-built spacecraft, which cost about $408 million, was fueled and in the upright position when a crane operation caused damage to the Omni S-band antenna.

A second, separate issue, likely caused by an electrostatic discharge at the launch site, was being evaluated on July 20, according to NASA, and involved mechanical ground support equipment.

To read the entire informative article, please access this direct link to the Florida Today article...