Tracking & Data Relay Satellite

Author(s): DaveBowman2001 toutatis gironde

Release date:

The U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) is a network of American communications satellites used by NASA since 1983. The system replaced the old Manned Spaceflight Network (MSN), a series of ground stations and ships that supported all manned space missions from Mercury to Apollo

NOTES:

  • Requires the Space Shuttle addon to view satellites TDRS-1 to 7
  • For this reason, seven shuttle missions will be modified, namely STS-6, STS-26, STS-29, STS-43, STS-54, and STS-70
  • There are a total of 13 satellites launched, 9 are currently active
  • TDRS-2 is not available as it was destroyed during the 1986 Challenger disaster

Tracking & Data Relay Satellites
(1983-Present)
Mission Start End
First generation, 1983-1995
TDRS-1 1983-Apr-42010-Jun-27
TDRS-2 1986-Jan-28
Destroyed during the Challenger disaster
TDRS-3 1988-Sept-29(Active)
Put into storage mode starting in 2014
TDRS-4 1989-Mar-132012-May
TDRS-5 1991-Aug-2(Active)
TDRS-6 1993-Jan-13(Active)
TDRS-7 1995-Jul-13(Active)
Second generation, 2000-2002
TDRS-8 2000-Jun-30(Active)
TDRS-9 2002-Mar-8(Active)
TDRS-10 2002-Dec-5(Active)
Third generation, 2013-2017
TDRS-11 2013-Jan-31(Active)
TDRS-12 2014-Jan-24(Active)
TDRS-13 2017-Aug-18(Active)

Flight hardware for the six first-generation TDRS satellites

Flight hardware for the 2nd (above) and 3rd generation (below) TDRS satellites

Help us translate this page here.

Open in Celestia (Recommended) or Download

How to install add-ons? Find out here.