Atlas V launch boosts 3rd Navy MUOS satellite of 5 into orbit from Cape

Atlas V launch boosts Navy satellite into orbit from Cape

CAPE CANAVERAL – A powerful Atlas V rocket blasted off Tuesday night
with a Navy satellite designed to improve radio communications for U.S.
forces on patrol in Afghanistan and Iraq, and across the globe.

The
Navy said the new satellite system would act like a smart phone network
in the sky, offering a tenfold increase in capacity over its older
constellation.

"We've taken commercially available cell phone
technology that I think we're all kind of familiar with in our daily
lives, except that our cell towers are 22,000 miles above us on that
satellite right there," said Navy Cmdr. Pete Sheehy, assistant manager
for the Mobile User Objective System program. "By doing that, we've
enabled a 10 times increase in the number of users that we can
accommodate."

The third of the five satellites in the $7.3 billion
program reached orbit late Tuesday, several hours after an 8:04 p.m.
launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Flying in its most
powerful configuration, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V produced 2.5
million pounds of thrust with the help of five solid rocket motors to
support the Russian RD-180 main engine.

In a brilliant glow, the
206-foot rocket rose quickly toward the southeast, appearing
unencumbered by its more than 15,000-pound payload — the heaviest
carried by an Atlas V in 52 missions.

Navy's MUOS3 spacecraft successfully lifts-off from Cape Canaveral - Atlanta Science & Technology | Examiner.com
A massive U.S. Navy military satellite designed to improve communications and data between troops in remote regions lifted-off on Tuesday from America's Space Coast on a planned decade long mission in geostationary orbit.

ULA (used with permission)

The Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) spacecraft is the third in a fleet of five planned satellites designed to replace aging military communications satellites. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command's MUOS-3 system is expected to expand the military network by ten times the number of users than that of the existing SATCOM system, including voice, video and data.

The Mobile User Objective System - Oetting.pdf
This article from the John’s Hopkins APL Technical Digest describes the UHF SATCOM system called the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). The system is based on the identical technology now being widely deployed on terrestrial cellular phone systems and will revolutionize the way the Department of Defense (DoD) uses UHF SATCOM. This article describes the MUOS system architecture, APL’s role in the MUOS program, and the impact of our work on programs at APL. 

Mobile User Objective System

MUOS is the next generation narrowband military satellite communication system that supports a worldwide, multi-Service population of users in the ultra-high frequency band. The system provides increased communications capabilities to newer, smaller terminals while still supporting interoperability with legacy terminals. MUOS is designed to support users that require greater mobility, higher data rates and improved operational availability.

MUOS implementation is well underway following the successful launch of MUOS-1 in February 2012 and its acceptance for full operational use for legacy terminal users in November 2012.

MUOS adapts a commercial 3G Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) cellular technology with geosynchronous satellites to provide a new and more capable UHF military satellite communication system.