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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, engineers and technicians support preparations for lifting the Centaur second stage of the United Launch Alliance rocket that will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit. TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/tracking-and-data-relay-satellite-tdrs/ Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser