Lockheed Martin [LMT] announced recently that it has successfully mated the first Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite’s high-performance communications system module with the propulsion core at its facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Supporting ultra-high frequency (UHF) satellite communications (SATCOM), MUOS will provide assured communications, including simultaneous voice, video and data, for mobile warfighters.
The MUOS system module, developed and tested at Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Newtown, Pa., includes a legacy UHF payload provided by Boeing [BA] Satellite Systems (BSS), El Segundo, Calif., that is compatible with more than 10,000 deployed UHF SATCOM terminals that will transition to MUOS as existing UHF Follow-on (UFO) satellites reach the end of their on-orbit life.
It also features a Lockheed Martin-built wideband code division multiple access payload that incorporates advanced technology to provide a 16-fold increase over legacy UHF SATCOM in the number and capacity of satellite links. These technologies will support new mobile satellite terminals that are under development within the Joint Tactical Radio System.
The propulsion core contains the integrated propulsion system and serves as the structural backbone of the satellite. Developed and tested at Lockheed Martin’s Mississippi Space & Technology Center, the propulsion subsystem is essential for maneuvering the MUOS satellite during transfer orbit to its final location as well as conducting on-orbit repositioning maneuvers throughout its mission life.
“The successful mate of the system module with the spacecraft’s propulsion core is another major milestone for the team and a critical step forward in our objective to successfully deploy MUOS for the warfighter,” said Mark Pasquale, Lockheed Martin’s MUOS program manager and vice president. “We look forward to executing the critical integration and test work at hand and achieving operational excellence and mission success for our customer.”
The successful mate allows the MUOS team to begin environmental testing of the fully integrated satellite. The first MUOS satellite, along with the associated ground system provided by General Dynamics [GD] C4 Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz., are scheduled for on-orbit hand-over to the Navy in 2011.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif., is the MUOS prime contractor and system integrator. The Navy’s Program Executive Office for Space Systems, Chantilly, Va., and its Communications Satellite Program Office, San Diego, Calif., are responsible for the MUOS program.