Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space
Contact:
Jeffery Adams
(408) 742-7606
Pager (888) 916-1796
jeffery.adams@lmco.com
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Media Advisory:
Lockheed Martin delivers upgraded Air Force communications satellite to Cape for January launch
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 30, 1999 — An Air Force Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) spacecraft with
significant performance upgrades was recently shipped by prime contractor Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space to
Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., for a launch tentatively scheduled in January.
The DSCS III B8 spacecraft, the first of four remaining super high-frequency communications satellites to feature
Service Life Enhancement Program (SLEP) upgrades, will provide improved uninterrupted secure voice and high data
rate communications to its Department of Defense users.
This satellite, the eleventh of 14, will join 10 other DSCS satellites currently on orbit. The three remaining DSCS III
satellites will also feature the SLEP upgrades that provide increased downlink power, improved connectivity to its
antennas and upgraded transponded channels.
Missiles & Space has full responsibility for the third generation of 14 DSCS III spacecraft to include storage, launch
preparation, operations support and modifications.
Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space, Sunnyvale, Calif., is an operating company within Lockheed Martin Space
Systems, headquartered in Bethesda, Md. It is a leading supplier of satellites to military, civil government and
commercial communications organizations around the world. These spacecraft have enhanced military and civilian
communications; provided new, extensive and timely weather data; studied the Earth and space; and furnished new
data for thousands of scientists studying our planet and the space around it.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md, Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global enterprise principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services.
The Corporation’s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services. Employing
more than 160,000 people worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 1998 sales surpassing $26 billion.
Hi-res photo of the DSCS satellite,
http://lmms.external.lmco.com/photos/military_space/def_sat_comm_sys_dscs/def_sat_comm_sys_dscs.html