Third AEHF takes off

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The third in a series of secure U.S. military communications satellites successfully launched today aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The Advanced Extremely High Frequency-3 satellite faces 110 days of orbit-raising operations and 60 days of testing, according to a U.S. Air Force press release. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif., is building six AEHF satellites under a contract worth some $9 billion. When fully deployed, the AEHF constellation will consist of four satellites in geostationary orbit and secure communications payloads hosted aboard classified satellites in polar orbit. (Source: Spacenews, 09/18/13) Note: Core propulsion system work on the AEHF satellite is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous