Atlas V 551 - AEHF-4 - October 17, 2018

[Lewis007]

AEHF-4 patch

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1060550370705854465

[catdlr]

AEHF-4 Satellite Launch Into Orbit

Space and Missile Systems Center Los Angeles AFB
Premiered 4 hours ago

Video story featuring the launch of the fourth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF4) satellite into orbit. An advanced strategic communication satellite engineered through a partnership with the United States Air Force, Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman, and Aerospace.

The story features the launch conducted at the United Launch Alliance (ULA) facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Featuring interviews from service members and industry partners reacting to the launch.

Produced by: Walter Talens, SMC/PA
Graphics by: Russel Isler
Additional courtesy footage: ULA

INTERVIEWS BY ORDER OF APPEARANCE:

1st Lt. Vinod Dorai, USAF
Hometown: New York, New York

Cyrus Dhalla
Vice President, Communication Systems, Northrop Grumman
 
Kay Sears
Vice President, Lockheed Martin Space

Col. Robert Bongiovi, USAF
Director, Launch Enterprise, Space and Missile Systems Center

[Olaf]

https://twitter.com/18SPCS/status/1121184362559496192

[jacqmans]

News Release Issued: Apr 29, 2019 (8:00am EDT)


Lockheed Martin's AEHF-4 On-orbit Test Proves Successful And Marks First Of Its Kind

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is excited to announce the successful completion of AEHF-4 spacecraft on-orbit test and available for Satellite Control Availability (SCA).

The fourth Lockheed Martin-built AEHF satellite arrived to geosynchronous orbit and met all spacecraft performance requirements.

The AEHF-4 on-orbit test (A4 OOT) successfully activated the payload, built by its major subcontractor, Northrop Grumman, and demonstrated that AEHF-4 met all of its requirements. A4 OOT was the first ever test to have all six AEHF operational terminals communicating over XDR. The terminal types include AEHF SMART-T, FAB-T, MMPU, NMT, Global ASNT and ACF-IC2.

"This is a major milestone to celebrate with our customers at Space and Missiles Systems Center (SMC) the U.S. Air Force and our teammates Northrop Grumman, L3 Communications and Aerojet. As we turn our focus on launching AEHF-5 in June, one month early, I want to congratulate everyone involved in completing this one of a kind, high-performance network in space. This is a tremendous accomplishment for the AEHF program and I am proud of the team for consistently exceeding the customer's mission needs," said Mike Cacheiro, vice president of Protected Communications for Military Space.

The addition of AEHF-4 to the constellation provides a new capability of global extended data rate (XDR) communications. XDR communications provides data rates to its users five times higher than medium data rate (MDR) and 350 times higher than low data rate (LDR) communications. Milstar, the predessor to AEHF, uses both LDR and MDR communication modes to directly support the warfighter.

This was the last step before control authority of the satellite is handed over to the U.S. Air Force SMC where it will join the combined AEHF-Milstar constellation.

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

For additional AEHF information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com/aehf.

[Targeteer]

 https://www.schriever.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1841805/4th-space-operations-squadron-takes-control-of-aehf-4/

SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --

The 4th Space Operations Squadron accepted control of a new satellite in their constellation, Advanced Extremely High Frequency-4 from the Space and Missile Systems Center and 14th Air Force in a satellite control authority ceremony at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, May 3.

Second Lt. Scott Podlogar, 4th SOPS satellite engineer, said the ceremony designates who has the authority to operate the platform.

“The agency accepting control is responsible for maintaining the health and safety of the satellite as well as making sure it accomplishes the mission it is designed for,” he said

According to Amanda Shepherd-Bond, 4th SOPS satellite spacecraft engineer and event coordinator, the squadron increased their capability with the new addition.

“AEHF has increased our coverage over the Milstar satellites as well as approximately 10 times the throughput and better jam or rapid modification of radio waves resistance,” she said.

The 14th AF hosted the ceremony via teleconference, with Col. David Ashley, SMC AEHF program manager, Lt. Col. Paul Freeman, 50th Operations Group deputy commander, Juan E. Cruz, 14th Air Force mission warning program analyst and Lt. Col. Armon Lansing, 4th SOPS commander in attendance.

During the ceremony, the SMC approved AEHF-4 as being ready for operations, handing control to the 14th AF, who delegated control to the 50th Space Wing, then to the 50th OG and finally to the 4th SOPS.

Shepherd-Bond said the addition of another AEHF platform is significant for 50th SW operations as a whole because it increases coverage across air, land and sea for range communications and greater crosslinking capability.

“AEHF already supports numerous mission operations including space and intelligence, nuclear and defense, theater mission defense and special operations,” she said.

The satellite is the fourth AEHF in orbit and increases the warfighting superiority of the customers supported by 4th SOPS.

“There are plans for AEHF 5 and 6 to launch and join in a few years. The launch of AEHF-5 will occur later this summer,” Podlogar said.

4th SOPS furthers the mission by evolving space and cyberspace warfighting superiority through integrated and innovative operations.

“The addition of this satellite to the protected communications constellation further promotes Schriever and America as being the masters of space,” Podlogar said.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1187588835955351554

54 debris objects have now been cataloged in geotransfer orbit from the disintegration of the @ulalaunch rocket stage Centaur AV-073, which was launched in 2018 and broke up on Apr 6.

twitter.com/jonathanoc/status/1187598123566190592

What was the reason for it breaking up?  I must have missed it.

https://twitter.com/m_r_thomp/status/1187599787752906753

It wasn't passivated (or at least wasn't done so correctly).  So there was still energy stored onboard, probably in the form of pressurized tanks.  Something "popped" in April.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Update on tweets in previous post.

In response to claim of passivation issue:

https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1187723506773045248

incorrect

twitter.com/planet4589/status/1187745044046012416

Yes all Centaurs are passivated, thats been true for decades. Makes me think it might be a debris hit?

https://twitter.com/m_r_thomp/status/1187760102855585795

It might be, but the original @18SPCS notification said that they had no indication it was caused by a collision.
I tend to believe that even a small collision with an upper stage would produce more than 52 pieces of trackable debris.

[LouScheffer]

Update on tweets in previous post.

In response to claim of passivation issue:

https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1187723506773045248

incorrect

Well, Tory, what's your hypothesis for 3 Centaurs breaking up? Collisions seem very unlikely to destroy 3 Centaurs while hitting few if any other remnant stages.   Something wrong with passivation, on the other hand, explains this perfectly.  Also there is no obvious bias in the pattern of debris, arguing for an internal event.

The only other systematic explanation I've heard is that someone is using Centaur upper stages for target practice.  But either whacking someone else's satellite, or even whacking your own and creating long-lived space debris, would cause (justified) outrage if found out.  Plus this would have to be a kinetic weapon - a directed energy hit would not cause a Centaur to explode unless there was some internal energy.  But again the pattern of debris shows no obvious evidence for a collision.

EDIT: Fix Tory's name