A new communication system has been activated aboard the International Space Station (ISS), by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), to allow it to interact with the Dragon spacecraft.
The commercial orbital transportation services (COTS) ultra-high-frequency (UHF) communication unit will allow the ISS to monitor and command the Dragon spacecraft while delivering cargo to the station.
Delivered to the space laboratory on Shuttle Atlantis in November 2009, the system has undergone a series of tests including providing a baseline of the radio frequency performance and testing a set of antennas.
The tests used live video and telemetry links from the ISS to verify the hardware’s functionality, broadcast and reception signal strengths and stability over long-duration operations.
Additional testing is expected for a second set of antennas and ongoing verification of the overall system.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft onboard the Falcon 9 rocket is expected to transport cargo to and from the ISS from 2011.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData
