14 DAY TRIAL // A satellite communications network operated by NASA in Earth's orbit is bound to receive an upgrade, with the launch of a new spacecraft. Takeoff is currently scheduled to occur sometime in late 2012.
The NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) constellation is responsible for facilitating the communications between a large number of American assets both at home and abroad, and as such is of vital importance to national security.
NASA plans to improve it using the TDRS-K spacecraft, which is currently being put together. It will launch from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), in Florida, aboard an Atlas V rocket.
At a recent meeting of the Agency Project Management Council (APMC) – which was held at NASA Headquarters, in Washington, DC – mission controllers received approval to proceed with spacecraft integration and testing, a process known as Phase D.
According to the announcement, all Phase D tests are to take place at the Boeing Space Systems Facility, in El Segundo, California. Before the actual assessments can begin, the vehicle will receive its deflectors, batteries and thermal panels.
After these components are integrated, the spacecraft bus will be subjected to vibration and acoustic tests that will determine its readiness. At this point, everything is on schedule for a late 2012 launch.
“I am very proud of the entire TDRS civil servant and contractor team for successfully completing this milestone and demonstrating that the TDRS project is ready to proceed into the integration phase,” NASA TDRS project manager Jeff Gramling explained.
“I am excited to see the TDRS-K satellite enter the thermal vacuum chamber and begin environmental testing,” he went on to say after the meeting. The official added that TDRS-K successfully completed a combined Pre-Environment Review (PER) and Systems Integration Review (SIR) this August.
Since the spacecraft passed the SIR, the most important milestone left for it to achieve is the completion of integration and environmental tests. The latter are meant to determine whether or not the complete satellite is capable of enduring the harsh conditions of outer space.
“Successful completion of the environmental testing phase of the project will be the last step before we ship the TDRS-K spacecraft to the launch site,” TDRS deputy project manager Dave Littmann said.
“Through a rigorous testing program, we will ensure this satellite, once on-orbit, is capable of meeting its functional and performance requirements, to provide reliable services to the customers of NASA’s Space Network,” he concluded.