Tuesday, January 10, 2012

America's Space Weakness Revealed By The Problems In TheAdvanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite Program

Source: Wired

America’s Space Weakness -- David Axe, The Diplomat

On August 15, 2010, the U.S. Air Force almost lost a $2-billion communications satellite. A team of military and contract space operators eventually saved the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite, built by Lockheed Martin. But the rescue, admittedly an impressive technological feat, is also a window into the greatest weaknesses of the world’s leading space power, according to one space insider.

The seven-ton “AEHF-1,” part of a planned six-satellite constellation meant to support radio communication between far-flung U.S. military units, had been in orbit just one day when the problems began. The satellite started out in a highly-elliptical, temporary orbit. The plan was to use the spacecraft’s on-board engine to boost it to a permanent, geo-stationary orbit. But when the Air Force space operators at Los Angeles Air Force Base activated the engine, nothing happened. The Government Accountability Office would later blame the failure on a rag left inside a fuel line by a Lockheed worker.

Read more
....

More News On How The Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite Was Saved

Risky rescue for crippled Air Force satellite -- Wired
The fight to save AEHF 1 produces remarkable rescue -- Space Flight Now
Fight to Save US Military Satellite Ends in Remarkable Rescue -- Space.com
The piece of cloth that nearly sank an Air Force satellite -- The Vergehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Space soldiers save satellite from FLAMING DEATH -- The Register

WNU Editor: An excellent post on how the Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite was saved is here.

No comments: