[Satellite News 08-31-10] The U.S. Military’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency 1 (AEHF 1) satellite, which experienced a main engine shut down shortly after its initial orbit burn on Aug. 30, will most likely be salvaged, a U.S. Air Force official told Satellite News.
    Air Force Space Command Public Affairs Officer Andy Roake said the rescue plan being implemented to save the AEHF 1 communications satellite has made positive developments since the anomaly. “From where we are now, our engineers are confident that the rescue plan will result in AEHF 1 operating nominally. The satellite itself is performing to expectation and I believe this will be resolved sooner than we originally thought.”
    The AEHF 1 satellite was successfully launched by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket on Aug. 14 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Shortly after launch, the Atlas 5 rocket deployed its payload into a super-synchronous transfer orbit. The satellite then fired its 100-pound-thrust liquid Apogee engine to reduce inclination and achieve an intermediate orbit, eventually shifting orbit to a geosynchronous altitude of 22,300 miles and reaching its on-orbit testing location at 90 degrees West within 105 days of liftoff.
    However, on Aug. 16, the satellite’s main engine unexpectedly shut down, and several attempts were made to generate the satellite’s expected acceleration. Roake said the Air Force has yet to determine the cause of the anomaly.
    Rescue plans include several additional burns this week to prevent the satellite from being affected by atmospheric drag. The Air Force will then employ AEHF 1’s thrusters to increase altitude and eventually insert the satellite into its correct orbit.
    While the Air Force is confident in its plan to save the satellite, Roake said the anomaly puts the military’s program behind schedule. “It may take almost a year for the satellite to reach its true orbit, but as progress is made, we can reduce that time. As some of my colleagues have already mentioned in their statements, there are concerns about additional fuel resources being used and meeting the requirements of the satellite’s mission for the planned 14 years of operation. We could get the satellite to its orbit faster, but at the expense of fuel, which would shorten its lifespan.”
    The AEHF 1 spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman under a contract program worth about $6.5 billion, is the first of a series of national security communications satellites that will replace the U.S. military’s Milstar satellites. The satellites aim to provide secure communication links between military commanders and troops on the battlefield that are jam- and intercept-resistant. The satellites support real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data.
    Lockheed is currently building two more AEHF satellites, which are expected to launch in 2011 and 2012. The Air Force said it expects to order more AEHF satellites by the end of this year. ULA will launch both the AEHF 2 and AEHF 3 satellites on the Atlas 5 launch vehicle.