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In the late 1970’s, satellites,
such as the NIMBUS-7 satellite, relied on NASA’s ground
stations located around the world to provide a communication
network.
This ground-based network could only provide communication over
15 percent of the satellite’s orbit.
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With its ever-expanding orbiting fleet of satellites and manned
space flights NASA had to increase the coverage and
develop an improved way to track and communicate.
In 1983, NASA launched the first of a series of new
communication and navigation satellites that would rely less
on international ground stations and provide continuous coverage.
Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) are a network
of geosynchronous communication satellites that work in
conjunction with two ground stations.
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♪Rim Shot♪
♪Snare Drum♪
Today, NASA’s fleet of spacecraft and launch vehicles,
like the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)
can communicate and navigate with the help of TDRS.
This interaction between TDRS and the spacecraft is a series
of complicated signals that guaranties that every Earth
orbiting spacecraft will have nearly non-stop coverage.
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The International Space Station (ISS) routes voice and
video communications along with data through the TDRS fleet.
The Hubble Space Telescope also utilizes the full capabilities
of TDRS. TDRS supports the Hubble’s real-time interactions
with the ground systems allowing observers to make
small adjustments to its observatory system.
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TDRS provides the Earth Observing System of satellites,
such as the Aura spacecraft, with low latency data relay and
navigation data.
The TDRS network sends all of these data streams and voice
communications to White Sands Complex in New Mexico or the
Guam Remote Ground Terminal.
Guam then transmits the data it receives to White Sands.
The White Sands Complex then relays it to the end user at
their mission’s operations centers.
As long as there’s space exploration, TDRS will be
working side by side with spacecraft and end-user,
providing continuous connectivity for navigation, data and voice
communications.
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