AEHF
Set for launch this year is the U.S. Air Forces Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) System. Courtesy of SMC Public Affairs at Los Angeles Air Force Base, we learn that AEHF is a joint service satellite communications system that will provide survivable, global, secure, protected, and jam-resistant communications for high-priority military ground, sea and air assets.
Advanced EHF will allow the National Security Council and Unified Combatant Commanders to control their tactical and strategic forces at all levels of conflict through general nuclear war, and supports the attainment of information superiority.
This segment is highly survivable, with both fixed and mobile control stations. System uplinks and crosslinks will operate in the extremely high frequency (EHF) range and downlinks in the super high frequency (SHF) range.
The terminal segment includes fixed and ground mobile terminals, ship and submarine terminals, and airborne terminals used by all of the Services and international partners (Canada, Netherlands and U.K.). MCSW is responsible for acquisition of the space and ground segments as well as the Air Force terminal segments. The Army and Navy will acquire their own terminals. The general characteristics of AEHF are:
- Primary Function: Near-worldwide, secure, survivable satellite communications
- Primary Contractor: Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
- Payload: Onboard signal processing, crossbanded EHF/SHF communications
- Antennas: 2 SHF Downlink Phased Arrays, 2 Crosslinks, 2 Uplink/Downlink Nulling Antennas, 1 Uplink EHF Phased Array, 6 Uplink/Downlink Gimbaled Dish Antenna, 1 Each Uplink/Downlink Earth coverage horns
- Capability: Data rates from 75 bps to approximately 8 Mbps GPS
With the pending mid-2010 launch of the first GPS IIF space vehicle, the ground system is prepared to command the new on-orbit GPS IIF capabilities that include a new navigation signal for civil users, encrypted military code, crosslink enhancements, improved navigation signal accuracy and signal power increases. The new software also provides robust security improvements to include over-the-air distribution of encryption keys to properly equipped military users.
Preparation for activation of the new software included rigorous developmental and operational testing events including five transition exercises.
The new ground system software commanded current individual GPS satellites during numerous testing events and rehearsals. In November and December of 2009, the new software successfully uploaded operational GPS IIA and IIR space vehicles with navigation data and completed normal operational functions.
This improvement initiative continues the Air Forces commitment to the global community of GPS users. The Air Force will continue to pursue an achievable path maintaining GPS as the premier provider of positioning, navigation and timing for military and civilian users around the world.
Boeing
The Boeing Company has instituted a number of changes within the Companys Integrated Defense Systems unit, with the realignment effective immediately. The unit will now operate under a new name: Boeing Defense, Space & Security. In announcing the changes, Boeing Defense, Space & Security President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg stated the realignment is part of a continuing effort to successfully compete in a rapidly evolving global defense and security marketplace. Muilenburg said that reshaping the unit positions Boeing for further growth in new and adjacent markets, while continuing to serve existing defense and space customers. While Boeing Defense, Space & Security will retain its current operating units Boeing Military Aircraft (BMA), Network and Space Systems (N&SS), and Global Services & Support (GS&S) the realignment consolidates some divisions and makes a number of leadership changes. Chief among the moves is consolidation of two divisions in N&SS: The Combat Systems division and the Command, Control & Communications (C3) Networks division will be unified as the new Network and Tactical Systems division.
EADS Astrium
Astrium Services has been awarded a contract by the European Defence Agency (EDA) for a new preparatory study aimed at coordinating the future military communication needs of the European Union (EU). The single year pilot project aims at creating a centralized system for the procurement of satellite communications (SATCOM) on commercial space capacity, such as Ku-, Ka- and C-bands. Over the next year, Astrium Services will map out the SATCOM requirements of the European Member States respective armed forces, while developing an operational framework for the European Satellite Communication Procurement Cell (ESCPC). The aim of the ESCPC will be to coordinate and aggregate EU Member States orders for satellite communications services ultimately ensuring the best and most cost-effective access to commercial capacity for military purposes.
Once the ESCPC is in place, Astrium Services will be able to offer its unique one-stop-shop 24/7 approach, via its London Satellite Exchange (LSE) subsidiary, and will be ready to manage and execute a full catalogue of services.
NASA
Once in geosynchronous orbit, GOES-P will be designated GOES-15 and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. GOES-P will be placed in on-orbit storage as a replacement for an older GOES satellite. After arriving, the satellite was transported to Astrotech in Titusville, Florida, where final testing of the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems will be performed.
These tests will take approximately six weeks to complete. Then the spacecraft will be fueled with the propellant necessary for orbit maneuvers and the attitude control system. When the fueling is completed, the spacecraft is encapsulated in the Delta IV nose fairing and prepared for transport to the launch pad.
GOES-P is the third and last spacecraft to be launched in the GOES N-P series of geostationary environmental weather satellites. The GOES satellites continuously provide observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations, as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings.
COM DEV International
COM DEV International Ltd. (TSX:CDV) has been awarded follow-on contracts totaling more than CDN$7 million to provide passive microwave equipment for a military communications satellite. COM DEV will supply UHF diplexers, switch and filter assemblies, standalone switches and ancillary components. The Company expects to complete work on the contracts by the end of its 2011 fiscal year at its facility in Cambridge, Ontario.
Spirent Communications
Continuing on its path of innovation in LBS performance testing, Spirent Communications plc has introduced the industrys first solution to test Assisted GLONASS (A-GLONASS) capability on UMTS mobile devices and chipsets. Supported on Spirents 8100 UMTS Location Technology Solution (ULTS), the new A-GLONASS testing capability gives early adopters of A-GLONASS a competitive edge by enabling the delivery of better-performing devices and improved user experiences.
The addition of A-GLONASS to the list of available LBS enabling technologies such as GPS is set to make a major impact on mobile device positioning in 2010 and beyond. GLONASS is a Russian navigation satellite system with recently-formalized open civilian access. Using both GPS and GLONASS offers a mobile device receiver almost twice the number of usable satellites in the sky compared with GPS alone. This can significantly improve the performance of location-based applications in challenging environments such as urban streets, where much of the sky can be obstructed and multiple signal reflections from tall buildings can confuse satellite receivers.
Providing assistance data over the cellular network (A-GLONASS) further improves the speed and reliability of position fixes, in the same way as A-GPS. A-GLONASS device testing on the 8100 ULTS is built upon the expertise gained from Spirents PLTS, which was introduced into the CDMA market in 2001 and ULTS, the first commercially-available UMTS A-GPS test system. Since then, most of the worlds largest network operators, together with all the major mobile device and A-GPS chipset manufacturers, have relied on the Spirent 8100 ULTS for design, test and certification of their LBS solutions.
U.S. Air Force + Lockheed Martin
This team, who is developing the Space Based Infrared System program, has achieved two key milestones: a testing milestone demonstrating the ground system is on track to support launch of the first SBIRS geosynchronous GEO-1 satellite in the constellation; and a maturity milestone moving the ground system into the next level of integration. The testing milestone, known as the Combined Day-In-The-Life Test, validated the functionality, performance and operability of the SBIRS GEO ground system for its planned operational use.
The campaign included testing of more than 1.5 million source lines of code and 133 ground segment requirements. The new SBIRS ground system includes software and hardware necessary to perform activation, checkout and initial operations of the GEO-1 satellite after launch. SBIRS uses Day-in-the-Life test events to validate the integrated ground system following successful verification at the segment level.
TS2 Satellite Technologies
Not all the Internet connectivity is just for staying in touch with the folks back home. The troops in Afghanistan use the Internet a lot for professional tasks, and not all of them are official business. Some troops blog, and many other stay in touch with military friends and associates in other parts of the world. The Internet has made possible many online communities composed of military professionals.