As the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) was being built in the 1970s and 1980s, the Space Ground Link Terminal needed to collect data from TDRS was also being built. NASA's White Sands Ground Terminal (WSGT) in Las Cruces, New Mexico was chosen as the location for the terminal for its dry weather conditions, remote population …
As the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) was being built in the 1970s and 1980s, the Space Ground Link Terminal needed to collect data from TDRS was also being built. NASA’s White Sands Ground Terminal (WSGT) in Las Cruces, New Mexico was chosen as the location for the terminal for its dry weather conditions, remote population, and previous space communications experience. By the late 1990s, all Tracking and Data Relay Satellite operations were controlled from WSGT.