TDRS K, L, M

Generation to Generation, A Lower Risk Relay

TDRS K,L Illustration

Customer NASA NASA NASA
Spacecraft Boeing 601HP Boeing 601HP Boeing 601HP
Launch TDRS-K TDRS-L TDRS-M
Date 2013 2014 2015
On-orbit Life 15 years 15 years 15 years

Description and Purpose:
The next-generation series of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) provides NASA with crucial crosslink communications capability between Earth-orbiting spacecraft and control and data processing facilities on the ground.

Customer:
NASA has returned to Boeing to build its next-generation series of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS). The new Boeing-built TDRS-K series spacecraft will augment the earlier TDRS constellation that serves as NASA's means of continuous, high-data rate communication with the space shuttle, the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station and dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit.