Orbiter Survives In Increasing Rough Neighborhood

The first US Air Force Milstar communications satellite achieved 15 years of on-orbit operations this week. Five years beyond its original design life, manufacturer Lockheed Martin reports the satellite remains fully mission-capable, providing secure communications to US and Allied Forces around the globe for years to come.

Launched aboard a Titan IV rocket from Cape Canaveral on February 7, 1994, the first Milstar satellite has since been successfully repositioned five times to maximize the system's capabilities and coverage. The satellite has provided over 125,000 hours of communications service with more than 99.5 percent availability to date (and, also notably, it hasn't been hit by anything. Yet.)

The five-satellite Milstar constellation, which will surpass 50 years of combined successful operations in April 2009, provides a protected, global communication network for the joint forces of the US military and can transmit voice, data, and imagery, in addition to offering video teleconferencing capabilities. The system is the principal survivable, endurable means that the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Commander, US Strategic Command have to maintain positive command and control of the nation's strategic forces.

"The Milstar team takes great pride in the constellation's impressive record of performance and longevity," said Kevin Bilger, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager of Global Communications Systems. "For over 15 years, Milstar has served as the backbone of secure military communications and will continue to be a pivotal national security asset well into the future."

The Milstar team is led by the Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, located at the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, CA is the prime contractor, satellite bus provider, lead systems integrator, and ground command & control provider.

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com/