| Auto: | all |
| TDRS-13 | |
| Insignia: | TDRS M Project fairing logo.png |
| Mission Type: | Communications |
| Operator: | NASA |
| Mission Duration: | Planned: 15 years Elapsed: |
| Spacecraft Bus: | BSS-601HP |
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Launch Mass: | 3454kg (7,615lb)[1] |
| Launch Date: | UTC |
| Launch Rocket: | Atlas V 401 |
| Launch Site: | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |
| Launch Contractor: | United Launch Alliance |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Geosynchronous orbit |
TDRS-13, known before launch as TDRS-M, 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-12.
TDRS-M was constructed by Boeing, based on the BSS-601HP satellite bus. Fully fueled, it has a mass of 3454kg (7,615lb), with a design life of 15 years.[2] It carries two steerable antennas 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.[3] 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.[1]
In 2015, NASA contracted with United Launch Alliance to launch TDRS-M on an Atlas V 401 for $132.4 million. The spacecraft was launched on 18 August 2017 at 12:29 UTC (08:29 local time)[4] from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.[5]
On 15 July 2017, The TDRS-M space communications satellite was damaged during the encapsulation process at Astrotech Space Operations.[6]
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."[7] This incident did result in a launch delay.[8]