American space agency, NASA has launched a new communication satellite, which will be used to communicate with the astronauts and transmit more Hubble telescope images, on the unmanned Atlas V rocket on Wednesday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station near NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite will take about two weeks to reach the desired 22,300-mile-high orbit and the following few months will be used for testing the Satellite. NASA uses the orbiting network Tracking and Data Relay Satellite to communicate with astronauts at the International Space Station.

The latest satellite, which is designated with the letter K, will become TDRS-11 after it becomes operational. The space agency estimates show that the satellite costs between USD 350 million and USD 400 million. It is the eleventh Tracking and Data Relay Satellite launched by the American space agency and the first one was launched in 1983.

The next Tracking and Data Relay Satellite L in the series is scheduled to be launched during the next year. NASA intends to have a network of at least seven operational satellites in orbit at any one time. The satellite launched today will be the eight in orbit for the agency.