[4] TDRS-F was deployed from Endeavour around six hours after launch, and was raised to geosynchronous orbit by means of an Inertial Upper Stage.

The first stage burn occurred shortly after deployment from Endeavour, and placed the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).

At 02:26 UTC on 14 January 1993, it reached apogee, and the second stage fired, placing TDRS-F into geosynchronous orbit.

In 1994, it was placed at a longitude 46.0° West of the Greenwich Meridian, to serve as an on-orbit spare.

[6] In 1996, it was moved to 47.0° West, where it remained until 2005, when it was repositioned to 174.0° West,[6] where, as of August 2009[update], it was used to provide communications with spacecraft in Earth orbit, such as the International Space Station (ISS) and spacecraft bringing astronauts to the ISS.