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United Launch Alliance Atlas V And USAF Launch The Extreme (AEHF-1 Launch)


Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. (Aug.14, 2010) –  A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with the Air Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency-1 (AEHF-1) satellite launches from its Space Launch Complex-41 launch pad at 7:07 a.m. EDT today.  The AEHF constellation of satellites will provide 10 times greater capacity and channel data rates six times higher than that of the existing Milstar II communications satellites. Photo by Pat Corkery, United Launch Alliance.
[SatNews] It’s a first and it looks great…a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket successfully launched the Advanced Extremely High Frequency-1 (AEHF-1) satellite for the Air Force at 7:07 a.m. EDT today from Space Launch Complex- 41.  

The AEHF constellation of four satellites will provide 10 times greater capacity and channel data rates six times higher than that of the existing Milstar II communications satellites. AEHF-1 will be joined by the next two AEHF satellites to be launched during the next two years by ULA. This launch marks the fifth mission overall and third Atlas V mission for ULA in 2010.  AEHF-1 represents the latest “one-at-a-time” mission success which has been accomplished 43 times since ULA was formed on Dec. 1, 2006.


A single AEHF satellite will provide greater total capacity than the entire Milstar constellation currently on-orbit. Individual user data rates can be up to five times higher than Milstar’s highest speed. The faster data rates will permit transmission of tactical military communications, such as high-quality real-time video and quick access to battlefield maps and targeting data. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin
“ULA is proud to have played an important role in the successful launch of the first of three AEHF satellites for this critical constellation that will directly support the war fighter on the battlefield,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Mission Operations. “This was a tremendous launch campaign highlighted by close teamwork between the U.S. Air Force, the ULA launch team and our many mission partners that made today’s successful launch possible. We look forward to launching AEHF-2 in 2011.”

This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V 531 launch vehicle configuration. The mission used an Atlas V common core booster powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine, three Aerojet solid rocket motors, a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10A upper stage engine and a 5.4-meter diameter Ruag composite payload fairing.

ULA’s next launch, currently scheduled for September 20, is an Atlas V from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.  It is a National Reconnaissance Office mission in support of national defense.

ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Alabama, Harlingen, Texas, San Diego, California, and Denver, Colorado.  Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.