 Artist's impression of a TDRS satellite in orbit | |
| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | TDRSS-B |
| Mission duration | Planned: 10 years Final: 1 minute, 13 seconds Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | TDRS |
| Manufacturer | TRW |
| Launch mass | 2,200 kg (4,850 lb)[1] |
| Dimensions | 17.4 × 12.9 m (57 × 42 ft)[1] |
| Power | 1700 watts[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 28 January 1986, 16:38:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Space Shuttle Challenger STS-51-L / IUS |
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39B |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Destroyed | 28 January 1986, 16:39:13 UTC Challenger disaster |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Epoch | Planned |
TDRS-B was an American communications satellite, of first generation, which was to have formed part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was destroyed in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launch.
- ^ a b c "Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Characteristics". NASA. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2020.