TDRS-M

TDRS-13

TDRS-M Mission Logo
Mission type	Communications
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	15 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Bus	BSS-601HP
Manufacturer	Boeing
Launch mass	3,454 kg (7,615 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	Planned: August 18, 2017, 12:04-12:44 UTC
Rocket	Atlas V 401
Launch site	Cape Canaveral SLC-41
Contractor	United Launch Alliance
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Geosynchronous orbit

TDRS-M, to be renamed TDRS-13 upon entry into service, is an American communications satellite operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The thirteenth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, it is the third and final third-generation spacecraft to be launched, following the 2014 launch of TDRS-L.

TDRS-M is being constructed by Boeing, based on the BSS-601HP satellite bus. Fully fueled, it will have a mass of 3,454 kg (7,615 lb), with a design life of 15 years. It carries two steerable antennae capable of providing S, Ku and Ka band communications for other spacecraft, with an additional array of S-band transponders for lower-rate communications with five further satellites. The satellite is powered by two solar arrays, which produce 2.8 to 3.2 kilowatts of power, while an R-4D-11-300 engine is present to provide propulsion.

In 2015, NASA contracted with United Launch Alliance to launch TDRS-M on an Atlas V 401 for $132.4 million. Launch is scheduled for 18 August 2017 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

On July 15, 2017, The TDRS-M space communications satellite was damaged during the encapsulation process at Astrotech Space Operations. According to NASA's press release, "NASA and Boeing are reviewing an incident that occurred during final spacecraft closeout activities on the Tracking Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M) mission at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, on July 14, involving the Omni S-band antenna." This incident did result in a launch delay.