Communication system
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRS)
A fleet of geostationary relay satellites that give near-Earth spacecraft — including the ISS and Hubble — near-continuous contact with the ground, instead of only during the few minutes of a ground-station pass. TDRS is the space-based half of NASA's Near Space Network.
- Type
- Communication system
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Connections
- 3
- Type: Communication system
- Domain: Scientific connections
Experience system V6
Communication system scientific profile
A graph-grounded scientific layout that adapts to available evidence, imagery, relations, and source coverage.
- 01
Observe
The page falls back to graph and source evidence when no cleared image is available.
- 02
Measure
Measurement panels use graph coverage, catalog identifiers, and source availability without inventing values.
- 03
Locate
Part of Near Space Network.
- 04
Connect
3 graph relations shape the knowledge viewport.
- Object type
- Communication system
- Graph relations
- 3
- Verified sources
- 1
- Image records
- 0
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Status
- Graph entity
Scientific map
Atlas context
- Part of
Near Space Network
- Uses band
S-band
- Uses band
Ka-band
Original SVG diagram
Scientific schematic
- Object class
- Communication system
- Catalog numbers
- Not recorded
- Graph relations
- 3
- Sources
- 1
Visual knowledge graph
Relationships, not isolated facts
This viewport is generated from the Asteria knowledge graph. Science, culture, and interpretive links remain separated by domain so visual context never changes the evidentiary meaning of a relation.
- Uses bandKa-band
- Part ofNear Space Network
- Uses bandS-band
Continue the atlas
Curated next objects
Near Space Network
NASA's network of ground stations and relay satellites (formerly the Space Network's TDRSS and the Ground Network) that supports missions in Earth orbit and near-Earth space.
signal bandS-band
A lower-frequency microwave band long used for spacecraft command and low-rate telemetry, and for near-Earth links. Robust and less affected by weather than higher bands, but limited in data rate.
signal bandKa-band
A higher-frequency band that carries much more data than X-band for the same antenna, at the cost of greater sensitivity to rain and pointing. Increasingly used for high-rate science downlink from deep space.
ground stationSvalbard Satellite Station
A high-latitude ground station at 78°N able to see every pass of a polar-orbiting satellite. Operated commercially by KSAT and used by NASA's Near Space Network.
ground stationWhite Sands Complex
NASA's primary ground terminal for the TDRS relay satellites, in New Mexico. Nearly all Space Network traffic — including from the ISS and Hubble — passes through White Sands.
ground stationAlaska Satellite Facility
A high-latitude ground station in Fairbanks, part of NASA's Near Space Network, heavily used for polar-orbiting Earth-observation satellites.
Data
Scientific data & provenance
Data & provenance
- Stable ID
communication_system:tdrs- Type
- Communication system
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Relationships
- 3
- Graph version
- 1.0.0
Dataset membership
Open data
In the graph export: graph.json · graph.jsonld
Planned API: GET /api/v0/entities/communication_system:tdrs
Scientific quality
Substantial2 of 4 applicable dimensions complete, 1 partial
- Description
- Complete
- Source coverage
- Partial
- Relationship coverage
- Complete
- Review coverage
- None
- Citation coverage
- Not applicable
- Image coverage
- Not applicable
- Timeline coverage
- Not applicable
Scientific entity. Dimensions that cannot apply to this object are excluded rather than counted as gaps. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.
You might also explore
- Ground stationSvalbard Satellite StationLinked through Near Space Network
- Ground stationWhite Sands ComplexLinked through Near Space Network
- Ground stationAlaska Satellite FacilityLinked through Near Space Network
- Tracking stationCanberra Deep Space Communication ComplexLinked through S-band
- Tracking stationCebreros StationLinked through S-band
- Tracking networkDeep Space Network (DSN)Linked through S-band
Sources & references
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.