TDRS-8, the first of the second generation Tracking and Data and Relay Satellites (TDRS) is launched. The second generation TDRS moved S-band beamforming capabilities to the spacecraft instead of the ground like its first generation counterparts. The second generation TDRS also added the higher bandwidth of Ka-band to its communication toolkit…
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-8 (TDRS-8), the first of the second generation TDRS is launched. The second generation TDRS moved S-band beamforming capabilities to the spacecraft instead of the ground like its first generation counterparts. The second generation TDRS also added the higher bandwidth of Ka-band to its communication toolkit. The new generation of TDRS spacecraft were taken up into space by Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELVs) instead of the Space Shuttle. TDRS-8 was carried up by an Atlas IIA rocket.
› Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)› SCaN History of the 2000’s