Atlas V to Launch TDRS-M

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is targeting liftoff on Friday, August 18, 2017 with NASA's TDRS-M satellite, set to join the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System the agency relies on to communicate with low-orbiting spacecraft like the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. Ending a four-month gap in launches, Atlas V will be flying in its 401 configuration, tasked with a one-hour and 54-minute ascent mission with two upper stage burns to send the 3.5-metric ton payload on its way into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.