LM completes AEHF comsat core

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has delivered the core propulsion module for the second AEHF military comsat.

The company said in a statement Tuesday that it had handed over "the core propulsion module for the second satellite in the program constellation" of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency system.

"The AEHF system will provide global, highly secure, protected, survivable communications for all war fighters serving under the U.S. Department of Defense," Lockheed Martin said.

"Developed and tested at Lockheed Martin's Mississippi Space and Technology Center, an advanced propulsion, thermal, and metrology facility located at the John C. Stennis Space Center, the core propulsion module contains the integrated propulsion system as well as panels and other components that serve as the structural foundation of the satellite," the company said.

"The AEHF propulsion system, which includes an electric propulsion system provided by Aerojet of Sacramento, Calif., is essential for maneuvering the satellite during transfer orbit to its final location as well as conducting on-orbit repositioning maneuvers throughout its mission life. The integrated system was delivered ahead of schedule to the company's facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif.," Lockheed Martin said.

"The successful delivery allows the team of Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif., the AEHF prime contractor, and Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Redondo Beach, Calif., the payload supplier, to prepare for the spacecraft and payload mate planned for mid-2008, followed by environmental and acceptance testing of the completed satellite in preparation for launch in 2009," the company said.

"The smooth development and early delivery of this sophisticated hardware is the result of our relentless focus on achieving operational excellence and mission success for our customer," said Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin's AEHF vice president and program manager. "We look forward to our continued positive momentum as we begin the final assembly, integration and test of this second AEHF satellite next year."

"Based on Lockheed Martin's flight-proven A2100 spacecraft series, each AEHF satellite will provide greater total capacity than the entire Milstar constellation and offer channel data rates higher than the current Milstar communications satellites," the company said.

Lockheed Martin said it was "under contract to provide three Advanced EHF satellites."