[Satellite TODAY 08-16-10] A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket launched the Advanced Extremely High Frequency-1 (AEHF-1) satellite for the U.S. Air Force Aug. 14, the ULA announced.
     The AEHF constellation of four satellites, being manufactured by Lockheed Martin, will provide 10 times greater capacity and channel data rates six times higher than that of the current Milstar 2 communications satellites. The next two AEHF satellites are slated to be launched during the next two years by the ULA.
     This launch is the fifth mission and third Atlas 5 launch in 2010 for the ULA, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The ULA’s next mission, scheduled for Sept. 20, is an Atlas 5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., that will carry a satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.