Atlas 5 Rocket Launches Third AEHF Communications Satellite for U.S. Military

摘要

The third in a series of highly secure U.S. military communications satellites successfully launched in the early morning hours of Sept. 18 aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The rocket launched at 4:10 a.m. local time and the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF)-3 satellite separated from the vehicle about 51 minutes later. AEHF-3 faces 110 days of orbit-raising operations and 60 days of testing, according to a U.S. Air Force press release. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif., is building a total of six AEHF satellites under a contract worth an estimated $9 billion or more, including associated ground systems. When fully deployed, the AEHF constellation will consist of four satellites in geostationary orbit and secure communications payloads hosted aboard classified satellites in polar orbit.