Payload: TRACKING AND DATA RELAY SATELLITE-M NASA geosynchronous communications satellite Relays data from ISS, Hubble and LEO customers Cost: $408 million satellite + $132m launch service Launch Date: Friday, Aug. 18, 2017 Launch Window: 40 minutes 8:03-8:43 a.m. EDT 1203-1243 GMT Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida Space Launch Complex 41 Customer: NASA Launch Services Program, Kennedy Space Center TDRSS Project, Goddard Space Flight Center Launch Services Provider: United Launch Alliance, Centennial, Colorado Launch Vehicle: Atlas 5 designated AV-074 401 configuration Weight at liftoff: 745,000 pounds Height: 191 feet (58 m) Common Core Booster with RD-180 engine 73,800 gallons RP-1 kerosene and liquid oxygen Thrust: 860,300 pounds Centaur upper stage with RL10C-1 engine 16,450 gallons liquid hydrogen and oxygen Thrust: 23,300 pounds Extended Payload Fairing 14-foot-dia., 42-foot-tall aluminum shroud Construction: Atlas stage and Centaur upper stage built by United Launch Alliance in Decatur, Alabama Fairing manufactured by ULA in Harlingen, Texas RD-180 from NPO Energomash, Khimki, Russia RL10C-1 from Aerojet Rocketdyne, West Palm Beach, Florida Satellite Builder: Boeing Space and Missile Systems unit within Defense, Space & Security (BDS) division Manufactured at Boeing's Satellite Development Center, El Segundo, California Satellite Use: The TDRS-M satellite provides follow-on and replacement capacity to maintain and expand NASA's Space Network that supplies near-continuous high bandwidth (S-, Ku- and Ka-band) telecommunications services for data-relay and tracking low-Earth orbiting user spacecraft and launch vehicles, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station and NASA's science observatories. Satellite Statistics: Model: Boeing 601HP Tri-frequency communications: S-, Ku-, Ka-band Launch mass: approx. 7,610 pounds (3,452 kg) Height: 27 feet in launch configuration Wingspan: Solar arrays 69 feet tip-to-tip Antennas: Two 15-foot-diameter steerable, flexible graphite composite mesh Single Access reflectors and one 7-foot-diameter Space-to-Ground Link Propulsion: R-4D 100-pound-thrust main engine Mission life: 15 years Orbital test slot: 150 degrees West Operational orbital slot: likely above Atlantic History: The TDRS Project was established in 1973 and is responsible for the development, launch and on-orbit test and calibration of TDRS spacecraft. There have been four procurements of TDRS spacecraft, which include the Basic Program (TDRS-F1-F6), the Replacement Program (TDRS-F7), the TDRS-H, I, J Program, and the TDRS-K, L, M Program. The first seven spacecraft (TDRS-F1-F7) are referred to as the First Generation, the H, I, J series as the Second Generation, and the K, L, M series the Third Generation. TDRS-F1-F7 spacecraft were built by TRW (now Northrop Grumman) in Redondo Beach, California. Hughes (now Boeing) in El Segundo, California built all of the subsequent spacecraft. The contract to build the next generation of TDRS spacecraft, known as TDRS-K and L, was awarded to Boeing Space Systems in December 2007. An option to the contract was exercised in November 2011, adding the development of TDRS-M. TDRS-A Challenger • STS-6 Launch date: April 4, 1983 Retired in 2010, boosted to super-synchronous orbit. TDRS-B Challenger • STS-51L Launch date: January 28, 1986 Destroyed in launch failure. TDRS-C Discovery • STS-26 Launch date: September 29, 1988 Located at 64 degrees West longitude over the Atlantic Ocean region. TDRS-D Discovery • STS-29 Launch date: March 13, 1989 Retired in 2011, boosted to super-synchronous orbit. TDRS-E Atlantis • STS-43 Launch date: August 2, 1991 Located at 167 degrees West longitude over the Pacific Ocean region. TDRS-F Endeavour • STS-54 Launch date: January 13, 1993 Located at 47 degrees West longitude over the Atlantic Ocean region. TDRS-G Discovery • STS-70 Launch date: July 13, 1995 Located at 84 degrees East longitude over the Indian Ocean region. TDRS-H Atlas 2A • AC-139 Launch date: June 30, 2000 Located at 90 degrees East longitude over the Indian Ocean region. TDRS-I Atlas 2A • AC-143 Launch date: March 8, 2002 Located at 12 degrees West longitude over the Atlantic Ocean region. TDRS-J Atlas 2A • AC-144 Launch date: Dec. 4, 2002 Located at 174 degrees West longitude over the Pacific Ocean region. TDRS-K Atlas 5 • AV-036 Launch date: Jan. 30, 2013 Located at 171 degrees West longitude over the Pacific Ocean region. TDRS-L Atlas 5 • AV-043 Launch date: Jan. 23, 2014 Located at 41 degrees West longitude over the Atlantic Ocean region. Mission Profile: The Atlas 5 will place TDRS-M into space using a high-perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit mission design. This launch will use a parking orbit ascent trajectory with two Centaur burn phases. The satellite's own attitude and orbital control system will perform a series of burns to raise perigee to geosynchronous altitude for orbit circularization and reduce inclination. * Sequence of events * T-0:00:02.7...RD-180 engine ignition T+0:00:01.1...Liftoff T+0:00:17.7...Begin pitch/yaw maneuver T+0:01:20.0...Mach 1 T+0:01:31.8...Maximum dynamic pressure T+0:04:02.2...Atlas booster engine cutoff (BECO) T+0:04:08.2...Atlas/Centaur separation T+0:04:18.2...Centaur first main engine start (MES 1) T+0:04:26.2...Payload fairing jettison T+0:17:57.7...Centaur first main engine cutoff (MECO 1) T+1:48:03.7...Centaur second main engine start (MES 2) T+1:49:00.1...Centaur second main engine cutoff (MECO 2) T+1:53:46.1...TDRS-M separation Separation parameters: Apogee altitude: 22,237 statute miles Perigee altitude: 2,883 statute miles Inclination: 26.2 degrees * Launch statistics * - The 654th launch for Atlas program since 1957 - The 358th Atlas launch from Cape Canaveral - The 243rd mission of a Centaur upper stage - The 220th use of Centaur by an Atlas rocket - The 481st production RL10 engine to be launched - The 20th RL10C-1 engine launched - The 78th flight of an RD-180 main engine - The 72nd launch of an Atlas 5 since 2002 - The 15th NASA use of Atlas 5 - The 59th launch of an Atlas 5 from Cape Canaveral - The 4th Atlas 5 launch of 2017 - The 107th Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle flight - The 120th United Launch Alliance flight overall - The 64th Atlas 5 under United Launch Alliance - The 87th United Launch Alliance flight from Cape Canaveral - The 28th NASA launch by United Launch Alliance - The 50th 400-series flight of the Atlas 5 - The 37th Atlas 5 to fly in the 401 configuration - The 86th launch from Complex 41 - The 59th Atlas 5 to use Complex 41 - The 13th TDRS spacecraft to launch - The 6th TDRS to launch on Atlas - The 6th Boeing-built TDRS * GENERAL PUBLIC VIEWING * An optimal spot for the general public to view the morning launch will be Playalinda Beach, located just north of Complex 41 along the Canaveral National Seashore and accessed from Titusville via State Highway 402. Walking down the beach to the barrier fence line will put you just 4.8 miles away from the rocket at takeoff. The park charges a small fee per car to enter. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex also offers viewing options, but those require the standard admission fee plus a launch access pass, per person. More Information: Spaceflight Now's live countdown journal and launch webcast will be available on spaceflightnow.com Twitter Feeds: twitter.com/SpaceflightNow twitter.com/NASA twitter.com/NASA_TDRS twitter.com/NASA_LSP twitter.com/torybruno twitter.com/ULAlaunch twitter.com/BoeingDefense twitter.com/AerojetRdyne