Harris’ Unfurlable Mesh Antenna Reflectors Deploy on Navy’s MUOS 5

[Via Satellite 11-09-2016] Two Harris Corporation unfurlable mesh antenna reflectors successfully deployed on orbit Oct. 30 onboard the U.S. Navy’s fifth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS 5) satellite. MUOS 5, a communications satellite built by Lockheed Martin, launched on June 24 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

MUOS 5 is the latest satellite to join the MUOS satellite constellation, which operates like a global military cellular network in the sky, with the aim to improve current secure communications for mobile forces. Once fully operational, MUOS will be compatible with and provide 16-times the capacity of the legacy UHF satellite system, according to Harris.

The antennas are the ninth and 10th Harris-built reflectors for the MUOS constellation. Harris provides two antennas onboard each satellite, a 14-meter diameter antenna to support new MUOS capabilities and a 5.4-meter diameter antenna to support legacy operations.