UFO (satellite)
UFO ( UHF-F / O , Ultra High Frequency Follow-On , English for UHF successor) is a satellite communication system of the US Navy , which is used for UHF radio connections between ships, submarines, aircraft and ground stations of the American Navy. The UFO program was planned as the successor to the FLTSATCOM satellite series, from which the name was derived.
A total of eleven satellites manufactured by Boeing (ten of them successfully) were launched into geostationary orbit by Atlas rockets between 1993 and 2003 . The satellites are designed for a minimum service life of 10 years.
Four different variants (designated as blocks 1 to 4) were produced which, in addition to the primary UHF transponders, have other different transponders in the SHF , EHF and Ka-band frequency ranges . The Block 3 satellites provide the broadband global broadcast system operating in the Ka-band .
The successor system MUOS has been set up since February 2012.
variants
| series | Dimensions | Transponder | Solar cell panels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | 2866 kg | UHF , SHF | 2 × 3 (2400 W) |
| Block 2 | 3023 kg | UHF, SHF, EHF | 2 × 3 (2400 W) |
| Block 3 | 3206 kg | UHF, EHF, Ka-band | 2 × 4 (3800 W) |
| Block 4 | 3041 kg | UHF, EHF | 2 × 3 (2400 W) |
Starts
| satellite | Start date | rocket | comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | |||
| UFO 1 | March 25, 1993 | Atlas-1 | Failure |
| UFO 2 | 3rd September 1993 | Atlas-1 | success |
| UFO 3 | June 24, 1994 | Atlas-1 | success |
| Block 2 | |||
| UFO 4 | January 29, 1995 | Atlas-2 | success |
| UFO 5 | May 31, 1995 | Atlas-2 | success |
| UFO 6 | October 22, 1995 | Atlas-2 | success |
| UFO 7 | July 25, 1996 | Atlas-2 | success |
| Block 3 | |||
| UFO 8 | March 16, 1998 | Atlas-2 | success |
| UFO 9 | October 20, 1998 | Atlas-2A | success |
| UFO 10 | November 23, 1999 | Atlas-2A | success |
| Block 4 | |||
| UFO 11 | December 18, 2003 | Atlas-3B | success |