NASA launches 'TDRS-M' satellite to help astronauts communicate with Earth

Image credit: NASA

Miami: The US space agency NASA on Friday launched the latest in a series of satellites to ensure the astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) can communicate with Earth.

The USD 408 million Boeing-made Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M) was launched into the space aboard United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 8:29 am EDT.

The space agency in a statement said, the satellite will support critical space communication into the mid-2020s.

The satellite will facilitate space-to-ground communication for NASA's low-Earth orbit operations, "ensuring scientists, engineers and control room staff can readily access data for missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station."

TDRS-M is the last of 13 such satellites that have been launched since 1983.

An antenna on the satellite was damaged last month at a processing facility in Titusville, Florida. The satellite was repaired, but the mishap set the launch back by about two weeks.

(With PTI inputs)