Merritt Island Spaceflight Tracking & Data Network Stations (MILA)

Occupying 61 acres of land on Kennedy Space Center and located 1 mile west and south of the Visitors Information Center, MILA is a Goddard Space Flight Center managed and AlliedSignal Technical Services Corporation operated and maintained tracking station.

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MILA contains thirteen antennas and equipment to provide communications between a space vehicle (like the Shuttle Orbiter) and its control center Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for the Shuttle during its mission). Antennas at MILA track or point directly at the radio frequency signals transmitted from a moving space vehicle. A ranging signal transmitted from MILA to the space vehicle and back again establishes the distance between MILA and the vehicle by how long the two way trip takes.

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