TDRS-L

TDRS-12

TDRS-L in its payload shroud, being hoisted atop its Atlas V launcher
Mission type	Communications
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	2014-004A
SATCAT no.	39504
Mission duration	15 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Bus	BSS-601HP
Manufacturer	Boeing
Launch mass	3,454 kg (7,615 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	January 24, 2014, 02:33:00 (2014-01-24UTC02:33Z) UTC
Rocket	Atlas V 401
Launch site	Cape Canaveral SLC-41
Contractor	United Launch Alliance
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Geosynchronous orbit
Perigee	35,785 kilometers (22,236 mi)
Apogee	35,797 kilometers (22,243 mi)
Inclination	6.77 degrees
Period	1436.03 minutes
Epoch	January 22, 2015, 07:10:47 UTC

TDRS-12, known before launch as TDRS-L, is an American communications satellite operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The twelfth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, it is the second third-generation spacecraft to be launched, following TDRS-11 in 2013.

TDRS-12 was constructed by Boeing, based on the BSS-601HP satellite bus. Fully fueled, it has a mass of 3,454 kg (7,615 lb), with a design life of 15 years. It carries two steerable antennae capable of providing S, Ku and Ka band communications for other spacecraft, with an additional array of S-band transponders for lower-rate communications with five further satellites. The satellite is powered by two solar arrays, which produce 2.8 to 3.2 kilowatts of power, while an R-4D-11-300 engine is present to provide propulsion.

The United Launch Alliance was contracted to launch TDRS-12. The spacecraft was launched on January 24, 2014 at 02:33 UTC (21:33 local time on January 23). An Atlas V rocket was used, flying in the 401 configuration, with tail number AV-042.After launch, TDRS-12 was deployed into a high-perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit. The spacecraft raised itself into a geosynchronous orbit using its onboard propulsion system.