Future Military Communications: What Happens After TSAT?

Status of Major Space Procurement Programs as of February

Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellites (AEHF)

Lead Contractor: Lockheed Martin
Number of satellites: 3 to 5
Projected launch dates: SV1 in April 2008; SV2 in 2009; SV3 in 2010
Funding/Program status: The Air Force notified Congress of a Nunn-McCurdy breach of at least 15 percent. SV3 production contract for $491 million was awarded to Lockheed Martin in January. SV4 and SV5 manufacturing launches scratched in December 2002. SV4 was eliminated by Air Force again in October but both may be reactivated because of milestone issues surrounding the Transformational Satellite Communications System.

Mobile User Objective System (MUOS)

Lead Contractor: Lockheed Martin
Number of satellites: 2 with options for 3 additional
Original/Projected launch date: 2010
Funding/Program status: In 2004, Lockheed Martin won a $2.1 billion Navy contract to build the first two MUOS advanced narrowband satellites and associated ground-control elements. Lockheed Martin completed preliminary design review in January and has moved to critical design review. Director of Operational Test & Evaluation expressed concern about MUOS throughput capacity and the impact of delays in Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) development, which might affect MUOS terminal testing and deployment.
Note: One military satellite communications expert indicates that there has been a huge effort on MUOS throughout the past few septembers to address capacity (not throughput of individual channels). The capacity efforts were not planned for and they took resources away from planned efforts. As a result, there has been a three-september slip in the MUOS ground segment critical design review schedule. "From a technical perspective, MUOS does not have to depend on JTRS. Anyone could build MUOS end-user terminals. If JTRS falls on its face, then a portion of the JTRS money could be reprogrammed to produce MUOS end-user terminals. My read is that patience for JTRS is waning in [the Pentagon]. This year appears to be a critical one for determining the future of JTRS," this expert says.

National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS)

Lead Contractor: Northrop Grumman
Number of satellites: Started at 6, could drop from projected 4 down to 2
Original/Projected launch date: 2009/2012
Funding/Program status: The Air Force notified Congress last fall of a Nunn-McCurdy breach. Congress appropriated $324 Million in fiscal year 2009. Projections for program started at more than $7 billion and have grown to more than $10 billion. Sensor development problems are the driving force behind cost overruns and schedule delays.