USA-235
United States Space Force military communications satellite constellation
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Artist's impression of an AEHF-2 satellite
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Names |
AEHF-2
Advanced Extremely High Frequency-2 |
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Mission type | Military communications |
Operator | United States Air Force / United States Space Force |
COSPAR ID |
2012-019A
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SATCAT no. | 38254 |
Website | https://www.spaceforce.mil/ |
Mission duration |
14 years (planned)
11 years, 2 months and 23 days (in progress) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | AEHF-2 |
Bus | A2100M |
Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Space |
Launch mass | 6,168 kg (13,598 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 4 May 2012, 18:24 UTC |
Rocket | Atlas V 531 (AV-031) |
Launch site | Cape Canaveral , SLC-41 |
Contractor | United Launch Alliance |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Geosynchronous orbit |
USA-235 , also known as Advanced Extremely High Frequency 2 or AEHF-2 , is a military communications satellite operated by the United States Air Force . It is the second of six satellite to be launched as part of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency program, which replaced the earlier Milstar system. [1]
Satellite description
The USA-235 satellite was constructed by Lockheed Martin Space , and is based on the A2100 satellite bus . The satellite has a mass of 6,168 kg (13,598 lb) and a design life of 14 years. [2] It will be used to provide super high frequency (SHF) and extremely high frequency (EHF) communications for the United States Armed Forces , as well as those of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada. [1]
Launch
USA-235 was launched by United Launch Alliance , aboard an Atlas V 531 flying from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). The launch occurred at 18:24 UTC on 4 May 2012, [3] first placing the satellite in a parking orbit of 185 kilometers by 905 kilometers. A second burn placed the satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) with a perigee of 225 km (140 mi) , an apogee of 50,031 km (31,088 mi) , and 20.6° inclination . [4] The satellite was successfully deployed in this orbit 51 minutes after launch. [1]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "Atlas V AEHF-2 - Mission Overview" (PDF) . United Launch Alliance . Retrieved 17 May 2021 .
- ↑ "AEHF 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6" . Gunter's Space Page. 4 November 2020 . Retrieved 17 May 2021 .
-
↑
"Display: AEHF-2 2012-019A"
. NASA. 27 April 2021
. Retrieved
17 May
2021
.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
- ↑ "JSR # 658" . Jonathan's Space Report. 7 May 2012 . Retrieved 17 May 2021 .
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Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).
Cubesats
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Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses). |