The U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin are ready to launch the second Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite here on Friday, July 19 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The launch window is between 8:48 a.m. and 9:32 a.m. EDT.
A live launch broadcast will begin at 8:28 a.m. EDT and will be accessible via the ULA webcast.
“This is a proud moment for the MUOS team,” said Iris Bombelyn, Lockheed Martin vice president of Narrowband Communications. “It takes a lot of detailed and dedicated work to get us here from a team that spans suppliers, engineers, technicians, customer and subcontractors. I’m proud of their efforts, and we look forward to the difference MUOS will make for mobile users.”
MUOS satellites feature a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access payload that incorporates commercial technology designed to provide 16 times the number of accesses above requirements for the legacy UHF Follow-On system. The satellites also include a hosted legacy UHF payload that will be fully compatible with the current ultra-high frequency system and legacy terminals.
The geosynchronous constellation consists of four satellites and one on-orbit spare, which are expected to achieve full operational capability in 2015, extending UHF narrowband communications availability well past 2025.
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.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 118,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.