TDRS

TDRS 171 in safehold: Increased latency on GPM near-realtime products

One of the TDRS satellites which GPM uses for downloading data is currently in safehold. This means that all downloads scheduled for that satellite wiil obviously not be able to be met. This will increase the latency of all GPM NRT products. One missed pass has already occurred and led to increased latency. Several others will occur during the night and into tomorrow.

Checkout of the GPM Core Observatory Continues Normally

Friday evening, GPM flight controllers at NASA Goddard began using the satellite’s High Gain Antenna system for high-rate data rate transmissions through NASA’s orbiting fleet of Tracking Data Relay Satellites. Having high-rate data flowing through the TDRS system allows the spacecraft recorder to be downloaded more frequently. During science operations, TDRS communication will allow availability of science data within 3 hours of measurement. Just after 11 a.m. EST on Saturday, March 1st, the flight team began the activation of one of the two main science instruments on the GPM observatory –