ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket launching the Air Force’s third Advanced EHF satellite.
Image credit: United Launch Alliance

[Via Satellite 09-18-13] The third Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communication satellite, built by a Lockheed Martin team for the U.S. Air Force, was successfully launched September 18 at 4:10 a.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket. Lockheed Martin confirmed signal acquisition at 51 minutes after launch.

The AEHF system provides vastly improved global, survivable, highly secure, protected communications for strategic command and tactical warfighters operating on ground, sea and air platforms. The system also serves international partners including Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

AEHF takes advantage of several Lockheed Martin capabilities to deliver six satellites and a mission control segment. Lockheed Martin contributed payload system engineering, mission control ground software, solar arrays and the A2100 spacecraft bus, which is a dependable and low-risk platform for commercial, civil and military satellites. Both AEHF 1 and AEHF 2 are on orbit, and AEHF 4 through 6 are progressing on schedule. All satellites are assembled at the Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale, Calif., facility.