Template:Infobox spacecraft USA-214, known before launch as Advanced Extremely High Frequency 1orAEHF SV-1, is a military communications satellite operated by the United States Air Force. It is the first of four spacecraft to be launched as part of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency programme, which will replace the earlier Milstar system.[1]
The USA-214 spacecraft was constructed by Lockheed Martin, and is based around the A2100 satellite bus. The spacecraft has a mass of 6,168 kilograms (13,598 lb) and a design life of 14 years.[2] It will be used to provide super high frequency and extremely high frequency communications for the armed forces of the United States, as well as those of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada.[1]
USA-214 was launched by United Launch Alliance, using an Atlas V 531 carrier rocket flying from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch occurred at 11:07 UTC on 14 August 2010,[3] and resulted in the spacecraft being deployed successfully into a geosynchronous transfer orbit with a perigee of 221 kilometres (137 mi), an apogee of 50,179 kilometres (31,180 mi), and 22.2 degrees of inclination.[4]
The spacecraft was intended to manoeuvre from the transfer orbit into which it was launched to its operational geosynchronous orbit by means of a liquid apogee motor and several Hall effect thrusters. The apogee motor malfunctioned shortly after ignition for its first burn on 15 August 2010, and following another failure on 17 August it was declared inoperable. Controllers plan to use the spacecraft's manoeuvring engines to raise its orbit in place of the failed motor, however due to their low thrust this will result in it taking up to nine months to reach geosynchronous orbit. Nominally it takes 105 days.[5][6][7]
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Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). |
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