A combined
MILSATCOM Joint Program Office/Lockheed Martin team has begun on-orbit
testing of the first U.S. Air Force Milstar II communications
satellite following the successful Feb. 27 launch and activation of
critical spacecraft systems.

Over the next 90 days, the Milstar team will test the Low Data
Rate (LDR) payload, built by TRW Space and Electronics Group of
Redondo Beach, Calif. and the new Medium Data Rate (MDR) payload,
built by Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) of El Segundo, Calif. using
the Army Secure Mobile Anti-Jam Reliable Tactical Terminal (SMART-T),
Navy EHF Shipborne Platform (NESP), and Air Force Command Post
terminals. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for
Milstar, responsible for the development of the space and ground
segments and the overall integration of the system including final
assembly and test of the spacecraft at its Sunnyvale facilities.

“The Milstar II National Team should be very proud of this
significant milestone in the mission,” said Albert Smith, executive
vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. “This system
provides a major increase in communications capability for the
military with the MDR payload.”

Shortly after launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Titan IV/Centaur
from Cape Canaveral, the satellite’s solar arrays and antennas were
all successfully deployed. The first point-to-point communications
using the new MDR payload occurred on March 12 followed shortly
thereafter by the first-ever video teleconference (VTC) using two Army
SMART-T terminals communicating over the MDR payload on Milstar F-4.
The VTC link was between Fort Monmouth, N.J., and a Raytheon facility
at Sudbury, Mass. “The video and audio quality were excellent,” said
Henry Jehan, Jr., project manager for the Army SMART-T terminal
program.

“BSS would like to congratulate the Milstar team for a job well
done,” said Randy Brinkley, president of Boeing Satellite Systems.
“The MDR payload has the capability to help warfighters communicate by
sending real-time voice, video and data to military personnel in the
field. It also has the ability to sort incoming data and route it to
the proper downlinks to then establish networks and provide bandwidth
on demand.”

The LDR payload which provides highly secure communications
capability to the National Command Authorities and Military Services
under any conflict environment completed initialization on March 6 and
successfully established an LDR communications network on March 7
using terminals at Sudbury and San Diego.

“TRW is extremely pleased with the on-orbit performance of the LDR
payload,” stated Tim Hannemann, executive vice president and general
manager of TRW Space & Electronics Group. “TRW has enjoyed an
outstanding relationship with our industry partners on this very
successful DoD program.”

The same team of contractors that successfully developed and
launched Milstar is leading a National Team to develop the Department
of Defense’s next generation of highly secure communications satellite
known as the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system. As
envisioned by the Pentagon, the fully operational Advanced EHF
constellation will consist of four crosslinked satellites providing
coverage of the Earth from 65 degrees north latitude to 65 degrees
south. The fifth satellite built could be used as a spare or launched
to provide additional capability to the envisioned constellation.
These satellites will provide more secure data throughput capability
and coverage flexibility to regional and global military operations
than ever before and will be also be backward compatible with the
Milstar I and II system.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, headquartered in Denver, is
one of the major operating units of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Space
Systems designs, develops, tests, manufactures and operates a variety
of advanced technology systems for military, civil and commercial
customers. Chief products include space launch and ground systems,
remote sensing and communications satellites for commercial and
government customers, advanced space observatories and interplanetary
spacecraft, fleet ballistic missiles and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin 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 140,000 people worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 2000 sales
surpassing $25 billion.

Note to Editors: For the complete Milstar press kit, including
program profiles, images and a video clip of the launch, please visit
the Milstar Flight 4 News Center at:
http://lmms.external.lmco.com/about/milstar4.html.