TDRS-3, known before launch as TDRS-C, is an American communications satellite, of first generation, which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by TRW, and is based on a custom satellite bus which was used for all seven first generation TDRS satellites.[4]
![]() TDRS-C aboard Discovery | |
Mission type | Communication |
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Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | 1988-091B ![]() |
SATCAT no. | 19548 [1] |
Mission duration | Planned: 10 years Elapsed: 33 years, 10 months, 6 days |
Spacecraft properties | |
Bus | TDRS |
Manufacturer | TRW |
Launch mass | 2,224.9 kg (4,905 lb)[2] |
Dimensions | 17.3 × 14.2 m (57 × 47 ft)[2] |
Power | 1700 watts[2] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 29 September 1988, 15:37:00 (1988-09-29UTC15:37) UTC |
Rocket | Space Shuttle Discovery STS-26 / IUS |
Launch site | Kennedy Space Center LC-39B |
Contractor | Rockwell International |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Geostationary orbit |
Longitude | 151° West (1988) 171° West (1988–1990) 174° West (1990–1991) 62° West (1991–1994) 171° West (1994–1995) 85° East (1995–2009) 49° West (2009–) |
Epoch | 29 September 1988 [3] |
The TDRS-C satellite was launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-26 mission in 1988; the first Shuttle flight since the Challenger disaster which had resulted in the loss of the previous TDRS satellite, TDRS-B. Discovery launched from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center at 15:37:00 UTC on 29 September 1988.[5] TDRS-C was deployed from Discovery around six hours after launch, and was raised to geostationary orbit by means of an Inertial Upper Stage.[5]
The two-stage solid-propellent Inertial Upper Stage made two burns. The first stage burn occurred shortly after deployment from Discovery, and placed the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. At 04:30 UTC on 30 September 1988, it reached apogee, and the second stage fired, placing TDRS-C into geosynchronous orbit. At this point it received its operational designation. Although the TDRS-2 designation had not been assigned, TDRS-C was given the designation TDRS-3 as NASA did not want to reuse the designation which had been intended for the STS-51-L payload.[6] It was briefly placed at a longitude 151° West of the Greenwich Meridian, before being moved to 171.0° West before the end of 1988, from where it provided communications services to spacecraft in Earth orbit, including Space Shuttles. In 1990, it was relocated to 174.0° West, and again in 1991 to 62.0° West. In 1994, it returned to 171.0° West.[7][8] In June 1995, it was moved to 85.0° East, from where it was used primarily for communications with spacecraft such as the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope.[7][9] In October 2009, as NASA began decommissioning TDRS-1, TDRS-3 was moved to 49.0° West,[10] where it remains in storage as of 2020.[11]
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System | ||
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First generation | ||
Second generation | ||
Third generation | ||
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← 1987 · Orbital launches in 1988 · 1989 → | |
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Kosmos 1908 | Kosmos 1909 · Kosmos 1910 · Kosmos 1911 · Kosmos 1912 · Kosmos 1913 · Kosmos 1914 | Gorizont No.25L | Progress 34 | Kosmos 1915 | Meteor-2 No.20 | USA-29 | Kosmos 1916 | USA-30 | Kosmos 1919 · Kosmos 1917 · Kosmos 1918 | Kosmos 1920 | Kosmos 1921 | Sakura 3a | Kosmos 1922 | Zhongxing-1 | Kosmos 1923 | Kosmos 1924 · Kosmos 1925 · Kosmos 1926 · Kosmos 1927 · Kosmos 1928 · Kosmos 1929 · Kosmos 1930 · Kosmos 1931 | Molniya-1 No.65 | Spacenet 3R · Telecom 1C | Kosmos 1932 | Kosmos 1933 | IRS-1A | Molniya-1 No.64 | Kosmos 1934 | Progress 35 | Kosmos 1935 | San Marco 5 | Kosmos 1936 | Gorizont No.26L | Kosmos 1937 | Kosmos 1938 | Foton No.4L | Kosmos 1939 | Transit-O 23 · Transit-O 32 | Kosmos 1940 | Kosmos 1941 | Ekran No.31L | Kosmos 1942 | Progress 36 | Kosmos 1943 | Intelsat VA F-13 | Kosmos 1944 | Kosmos 1945 | Kosmos 1946 · Kosmos 1947 · Kosmos 1948 | Molniya-3 No.49 | Kosmos 1949 | Kosmos 1950 | Kosmos 1951 | Soyuz TM-5 | Kosmos 1952 | Kosmos 1953 | Meteosat 3 · PAS-1 · OSCAR-13 | Nova 2 | Kosmos 1954 | Kosmos 1955 | Kosmos 1956 | Okean-O1 No.5 | Kosmos 1957 | Fobos 1 | Unnamed | Fobos 2 | SROSS-B | Kosmos 1958 | Progress 37 | Kosmos 1959 | INSAT-1C · ECS-5 | Meteor-3 No.3 | Resurs-F1 No.30 | Kosmos 1960 | Kosmos 1961 | Fanhui Shi Weixing I-02 | Kosmos 1962 | Molniya-1 No.66 | Kosmos 1963 | Gorizont No.28L | Kosmos 1964 | Kosmos 1965 | Transit-O 25 · Transit-O 31 | Soyuz TM-6 | Kosmos 1966 | USA-31 | USA-32 | Kosmos 1967 | Fengyun I-01 | GStar-3 · SBS-5 | Kosmos 1968 | Progress 38 | Kosmos 1969 | Kosmos 1970 · Kosmos 1971 · Kosmos 1972 | Sakura 3b | Ofek-1 | Kosmos 1973 | NOAA-11 | Molniya-3 No.51 | STS-26 (TDRS-3) | Kosmos 1974 | Kosmos 1975 | Kosmos 1976 | Gran' No.34L | Kosmos 1977 | Kosmos 1978 | TDF 1 | USA-33 | Unnamed | Buran 1K1 (37KB No.3770) | Kosmos 1979 | Kosmos 1980 | Kosmos 1981 | Soyuz TM-7 | Kosmos 1982 | STS-27 (USA-34) | Kosmos 1983 | Ekran-M No.12L | Skynet 4B · Astra 1A | Kosmos 1984 | Zhongxing-2 | Molniya-3 No.52 | Kosmos 1985 | Progress 39 | Molniya-1 No.63 | Kosmos 1986 | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets). |