Space Security Index

Space Support for Terrestrial Military Operations
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; on-orbit servicing and repair; and satellite
deployment and/or retrieval.” 55 However, analysts have argued that a system like the X-37B
is expensive and not well suited to these tasks, leading to speculation about other possible
intended purposes. 56
Satellite Communications
A DOD report released in June 2010 found that between 2004 and 2008 overall demand
for commercial satellite communications increased by about 90 per cent. 57 Even as the
military moves forward to upgrade its own systems, its reliance on supplemental commercial
bandwidth — already an estimated 80 per cent of Satellite Communications (SATCOM)
demand 58 — is expected to grow. However, according to General James Cartwright, vice
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Sta, this dependence is “a great thing,” because commercial
providers are pushed to continually update and refresh their systems. 59
e long process to replace the Air Force’s Milstar communications satellite constellation
nally saw the launch of the rst of six Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites,
AEHF-1 or USA-124 on 14 August. Nevertheless, the already delayed $2-billion satellite
will become operational between seven and eight months later than planned after its liquid
apogee engine (LAE), developed by the IHI Aerospace Company of Japan, failed to raise the
satellite to its appropriate testing orbit. 60 Preliminary ndings indicated that the malfunction
was caused by an anomaly and not from design failure. 61 e cause was later identied as
a blockage in the satellite’s fuel lines produced by improperly vacated cleaning material. 62
In early 2011, manufacturer Lockheed Martin was performing testing to ensure the problem
did not occur in the other satellites. 63 In the meantime, the Air Force was implementing a
three-month orbit-raising strategy with its smaller hall current thrusters (HCTs). 64 e initial
step was completed in September. Getting the satellite to the intended geosynchronous orbit
was expected to take a half-year; if successful the AEFH-1 was to reach its orbit in June
or July 2011. 65 Consequently, the launch of the AEHF-2 has been delayed until at least
March 2012. 66 AEHF-3 is undergoing environmental testing. 67 A $1.4-billion contract was
awarded to Lockheed Martin in December for a fourth AEFH, to be launched in 2017. 68
Once operational, these powerful satellites — each more capable than the entire legacy
constellation — will provide faster and more secure communication, enabling a ve-fold
increase in coverage opportunities. 69
In January, the Navy awarded Intelsat General Corporation a ve-year contract worth up to
$542.7-million to provide global satellite communication services in the Ku- and K-band, as
well as ground terminals and network management services, as part of the Navy’s Commercial
Broadband Satellite Program. 70 e rst satellite in the Lockheed Martin-built Navy Mobile
User Objective System (MUOS) will enter acoustic testing and thermal vacuum trials, and
be delivered in 2011. MUOS will provide narrowband UHF communications, voice, data,
and video for military users. 71
For the rst time in 50 years, in December 2010 the U.S. Army saw the launch of its own
communications satellite, the SMDC ONE-1 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. 72 e Army
is planning the launch of several small satellites to demonstrate communications capabilities,
as part of the Operational Nanosatellite Eect (ONE) program, which began in 2008 within
the Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). 73 After a month of demonstrating
the performance of low-data-rate communication, of up to 10 megabits per second, the
satellite reentered the atmosphere on 12 January 2011. 74 Two additional ONE satellites will
be launched in 2011. 75
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