KSC-2012-6537

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, is off-loaded from a military transport aircraft after its arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch of the TDRS-K on the Atlas V rocket is planned for January 29, 2013. The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdrs/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett