Lockheed Martin ships MUOS-3 to Cape Canaveral
NewsNovember 10, 2014
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 6, 2014 – Navy and Lockheed Martin officials shipped the third Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) spacecraft to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., where it will be prepped for liftoff this January on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
MUOS operates similar to a smart phone cell tower in the sky, enhancing current secure mobile satellite communications for warfighters on the move. MUOS Wideband Code Division Multiple Access technology users will now have beyond-line-of-sight capability for the first time to transmit and receive voice and data via an Internet Protocol-based system.
Prior to the launch, Lockheed Martin engineers and technicians at the Cape will finish post shipment testing. Lockheed Martin will then fuel the satellite’s propulsion system and the spacecraft will be encapsulated inside the launch vehicle’s payload fairing. The spacecraft will then be integrated on to the top of an Atlas V launch vehicle for final integrated testing and closeout preparations for launch.
The two on-orbit MUOS satellites currently are demonstrating new capabilities, especially in the Arctic region, an area previously not covered by UHF satellites and a growing in interest for transportation and natural resources exploration above 65 degrees north latitude.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the MUOS prime contractor and system integrator. The Navy's Program Executive Office for Space Systems and its Communications Satellite Program Office in San Diego are responsible for the MUOS program.
