Technicians begin the process of removing the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, from the shipping container after arrival at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Launch of the TDRS-K on the Atlas V rocket is planned for January 29, 2013. The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdrs/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett