SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A fifth Mobile User Objective System satellite built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy is entering its first system test ahead of schedule, the company said.
"Our fifth MUOS satellite shows strong learning curve benefits," said Iris Bombelyn, vice president of Narrowband Communications at Lockheed Martin. "Compared to our last build, we are approximately 20 percent ahead of schedule.
"We are continuously improving our manufacturing, test, launch and orbit operations to best serve the U.S. Navy and users that need secure, mobile voice and data communications."
Entering into testing follows Lockheed's mating of the system's module and core to a multi-beam assembly, which carries 16 ultra-high frequency antennas for distributed, global communications coverage. The antennas beam down coverage to Earth, with each covering thousands of miles of terrain.
MUOS enables communications coverage using the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access standard, providing a 10-fold increase in transmission throughput over the current UHF satellite system.
