After an outgassing event, the Landsat 5 X-band transmitter prematurely shut off during a data downlink to the USGS Landsat Ground Station in Sioux Falls, SD. Specifically the backup Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA), which is a downlink power amplifier for spacecraft telecommunications, tripped an Over Current Protection circuit. In 1987, a similar anomaly forced engineers to power down the primary transmitter. Landsat 5 data acquisitions are suspended until this problem can be resolved.
Be Part of What’s Next: Emerging Applications of Landsat at AGU24
July 11, 2024
Anyone making innovative use of Landsat data to meet societal needs today and during coming decades is encouraged to submit and abstract for the upcoming “Emerging Science Applications of Landsat” session at AGU24.
