Matthew Nelson
United Launch Alliance is set to lift off a Lockheed Martin-built military communications satellite aboard an Atlas V 551 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Thursday, Satnews reported Monday.
The sixth Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite will operate within a high-energy geosynchronous transfer orbit to optimize mission flexibility and provide secure communications relay services for various users.
The platform also houses encryption, electro-magnetic interference penetration and jammer resistance capacities.
AEHF systems are designed to replace the Military Strategic and Tactical Relay, or MILSTAR, satellite fleet and deliver reinforced communications capabilities for tactical and strategic command warfighters worldwide. ULA previously employed Atlas V rockets to field the first five AEHF satellites from 2010 to 2019.
