On January 23, 2014 at 9:33 p.m. EST, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket blasted NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-L) to Earth orbit. Built by Boeing Space Systems, the TDRS-L satellite’s mission is to provide high-data-rate communications between earth ground stations, the International Space Station (ISS) and Hubble Space Telescope.
VACCO Industries supplied 11 Metal Mesh Filters to the ULA Atlas V Launch Vehicle, which illuminated clear Florida skies for hundreds of miles during its nighttime lift off at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
VACCO also supplied 50 Latch Valves, Etched Disc Filters, Check Valves, and Fill & Drain valves to Boeing to build the TDRS-L Satellite for NASA. The huge satellite is now safely in orbit.