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takyon writes:

https://www.space.com/37844-nasa-launches-communications-satellite-tdrs-m.html

TDRS-M is headed for geosynchronous orbit, about 22,300 miles (35,800 kilometers) above Earth. It will join nine other operational spacecraft in NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) constellation, which together allow the nearly continuous transmission of data from Hubble, the ISS and other near-Earth research and exploration craft to mission controllers on the ground.

The TDRS satellites and their associated ground terminals make up NASA's Space Network (not to be confused with the agency's Deep Space Network[¹], a different system that handles data from far-flung spacecraft such as the Cassini Saturn orbiter and the New Horizons probe).

"TDRS-M is going to be critical to our future operation and the future of the Space Network," Badri Younes, NASA's deputy associate administrator for space communications and navigation, said during a pre-launch news conference yesterday (Aug. 17).

Indeed, the newly launched satellite should allow the Space Network to continue supporting communications through at least the mid-2020s, NASA officials said.

Also at Spaceflight Now.

[¹ The Deep Space Network's activity is available online at https://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html. --Ed.]

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