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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.
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.
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.
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.
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 either the 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.