[Satellite Today 01-08-09] Boeing Co. has increased the communications capacity of an on-orbit U.S. Navy satellite, UFO 11, by 30 percent, the company announced Jan. 7.
    The ultra-high frequency follow-on (UFO) satellite was launched in 2003 to support the U.S. Navy’s global communications network.
    Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, said high demand for tactical communications in Southwest Asia led to the decision to modify the satellite’s capacity. “After a series of careful analyses and rigorous testing, we found a way to achieve this goal at no additional cost to the customer,” he said in a statement
    The satellite reconfiguration was accomplished in conjunction with U.S. Strategic Command, the U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office of Space Systems and the U.S. Naval Satellite Operations Command.