NASA's TDRS-M spacecraft arrives in Titusville ahead of launch on Atlas V

A NASA satellite scheduled to launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station this summer arrived in Titusville for processing on Friday.

NASA's next Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, labeled TDRS-M, touched down at Space Coast Regional Airport on an Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo transport. It will undergo processing at Astrotech Space Operations' facility in Titusville leading up to the Aug. 3 attempt from Launch Complex 41, which marks the first launch by ULA since an April 18 Atlas V mission with an Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft.

The satellite was manufactured by Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, California

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The TDRS network supports space communications, and TDRS-M is expected to provide 15 years of service. The satellites transmit data to and from the ground for missions and launch vehicles, allowing scientists, engineers and managers to communicate with spacecraft such as the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope.

The last TDRS mission, named TDRS-L, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on an Atlas V rocket in January 2014.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter at @EmreKelly and on Facebook at Emre Kelly.