AEHF
Senate report criticizes Space Force plan to acquire secure, nuclear-survivable satcom
The Senate Appropriations Committee questioned why it will take the U.S. Space Force 12 years to acquire new jam-resistant communications satellites.
Northrop Grumman wins $298 million contract to develop jam-resistant military satellite
The contract is for the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications program, known as Evolved Strategic Satcom.
U.S. Space Command to begin testing the last satellite of the AEHF-MILSTAR constellation
The sixth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) communications satellite successfully completed on-orbit testing Aug. 27.
Parsons assembling small satellite to fly on Atlas 5 in upcoming AEHF-6 mission
The AEHF-6 mission scheduled for March 19 will fly a 12U multi-manifest satellite carrying multiple U.S. government payloads.
Lockheed Martin receives $3.3B contract for work on Air Force classified communications satellites
The 10-year contract is for operations and support of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency, Milstar and Defense Satellite Communications System constellations.
Cape Canaveral preparing for key military launches
The Air Force 45th Space Wing is gearing up for three high-profile space launches at Cape Canaveral over the coming months.
Report: Updating the military’s nuclear communications systems a complex and expensive challenge
Bill LaPlante, MITRE: The NC3 system “has been studied a lot, its life has been extended as long as we could, and that’s where we are."
Op-ed | A new mission for DARPA’s RSGS robotic spacecraft: satellite bodyguard
Maxar's exit has a silver lining: DARPA can and should repurpose the RSGS program to defined U.S. military satellites against attacks from supposedly peaceful Chinese and Russian robotic spacecraft.
Satellites, command-and-control systems taking a bigger bite of nuclear modernization budget
In a new report on nuclear modernization, the Congressional Budget Office projects rising costs for airborne command centers and for early warning and communications satellites.
Future military satcom system puts cybersecurity first
Electronic threats against satellite communication have rapidly escalated in the last few years and will continue to advance in the foreseeable future.
USAF prepares to launch billion-dollar communications satellite while it studies future alternatives
The U.S. Air Force is planning an October launch for AEHF-4, the fourth of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency constellation of nuclear-hardened classified communications satellites used by the military to plan air strikes, transmit secret mission plans and coordinate operations around the world, including a nuclear war.
Is the cost of military space programs going up or down? Depends on how you count
For the space-based infrared SBIRS satellites 5 and 6, the Air Force says the per-unit cost went down 12 percent — from $1.9 billion to $1.6 billion.
USAF sees “minimal” mission impact with AEHF-4 satellite launch delay
A problem with the power regulator on the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF)-4 satellite is forcing the U.S. Air Force to slip the launch of the satellite until the coming calendar year but the service says the delay will not result in a major mission impact.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems earnings down despite big ULA contribution
Lockheed Martin on July 20 reported lower revenue and operating profit at its Space Systems division for the six months ending June 26 despite a large profit contribution by launch-service provider United Launch Alliance (ULA).
More SBIRS, AEHF satellites still a possibility, Lockheed Martin says
A top Lockheed Martin space executive said the Air Force might need to build two more protected communications and two more missile-warning satellites as it transitions to next-generation architectures for both programs.
