MILSTAR satellite. USAF Photo

Military Strategic and Tactical Relay satellite (MILSTAR) is a United States government satellite communications system that provides secure, jam resistant, worldwide communications to meet wartime requirements for United States military users. File links The following pages link to this file: Communications satellite Military Strategic and Tactical Relay satellite Categories: United States government images ... File links The following pages link to this file: Communications satellite Military Strategic and Tactical Relay satellite Categories: United States government images ... Seal of the Air Force. ... U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications using radio at microwave frequencies. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ...

Features

Milstar is the most advanced U.S. military communications satellite system to date. It is a joint service system, i.e. it serves the communication requirements of the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force. The operational Milstar satellite constellation consists of five satellites positioned around the Earth in geosynchronous orbits. Each mid-latitude satellite weighs approximately 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) and has a design life of 10 years. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Seal of the Air Force. ...

Each Milstar satellite serves as a smart switchboard in space by directing traffic from terminal to terminal anywhere on the Earth. Since the satellite actually processes the communications signal and can link with other Milstar satellites through crosslinks, the requirement for ground controlled switching is significantly reduced. The satellite establishes, maintains, reconfigures and disassembles required communications circuits as directed by the users. Milstar terminals provide encrypted voice, data, teletype or facsimile communications. A key goal of Milstar is to provide interoperable communications among the users of Army, Navy, and Air Force Milstar terminals. The term switchboard, when used by itself can refer to: Telephone switchboard Electric switchboard This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Geographically dispersed mobile and fixed control stations provide survivable and enduring operational command and control for the Milstar constellation.

Background

The first Milstar satellite was launched 7 Feb 1994 aboard a Titan IV expendable launch vehicle. The second was launched 5 Nov 1995. The third launch on 30 April 1999, placed the satellite in a non-usable orbit. The fourth through six satellites have a greatly increased capacity because of an additional medium data rate payload and were launched on 27 Feb 2001, 15 Jan 2002, and 8 April 2003. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Titan is a family of U.S. expendable rockets. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years). ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ...

The Milstar system is composed of three segments: space (the satellites), terminal (the users) and mission control. Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is responsible for development and acquisition of the Milstar space and mission control segments. The Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts, is responsible for the Air Force portion of the terminal segment development and acquisition. The 4th Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colorado, is the front line organization providing real-time satellite platform control and communications payload management. State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... Electronic Systems Center Shield Electronic Systems Center is a product center of Air Force Materiel Command headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. ... A mounted F-86 Sabre serves as the centerpiece of Hanscom AFB Hanscom Air Force Base, initially and briefly designated Bedford Army Air Base, is a United States Air Force facility in Bedford, Massachusetts. ... State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th)  - Land 20,317 km²  - Water 7,043 km² (25. ...

Characteristics

Primary function: Global military communications system

Primary contractor: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space

Power plant: Solar panels generating 8 kW

Weight: ~10,000 lb (4,500 kg)

Orbit altitude: 22,250 nautical miles (41,200 km) geosynchronous

Payload:

Low data rate communications (voice, data, teletype and facsimile) at 75 bit/s to 2,400) bit/s (All satellites)

Medium data rate communications (voice, data, teletype, facsimile) at 4.8 kbit/s to 1.544 Mbit/s (Satellites 4 through 6 only)

Launch vehicle: Titan IVB/Centaur upper stage

Inventory: 5

Unit Cost: $800 million

Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ...

External links

• Boeing has a detailed article on the project (http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/factsheets/government/milstar_ii/milstar_ii.html)
• U.S. Air Force fact sheet on MILSTAR (http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=118)

Source

This page contains information that originally came from a U.S. Government website  (http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=118), in the public domain.