14 DAY TRIAL // According to officials, it would appear that the first AEHF satellite is experiencing a series of glitches in its propulsion system, that will most likely delay its commissioning by several months.
It would appear that experts managing the mission now need to develop a new plan for boosting the spacecraft to its designated observations orbit, without being able to use the main propulsion system.
The earliest estimates show that it will take at least six to seven months to park the satellite to its orbital perch, and even some time after that for conducting tests and calibrations.
The Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) spacecraft is secure communications satellite that was ordered by the US Air Force (USAF), Space reports.
It would appear however that the new delays would do little to reduce the life span of the satellite. It is now believed that the AEHF instrument will function as schedule, after being inserted in its orbit.
The announcement was made by the director of the USAF Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, Dave Madden, during a media briefing yesterday.
The AEHF-1 launched aboard an Atlas 5 delivery system on August 14, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), in Florida.
The rocket was responsible for injecting the spacecraft into a low-Earth orbit (LEO) some 230 kilometers at the perigee and 36,000 kilometers at the apogee.
This was accomplished successfully, but the satellite then failed to ignite its hydrazine engines, which were supposed to take it to an altitude of 19,000 kilometers at perigee.
It would have taken 30 days to climb to the required altitude, plus another 90 to fully circularize the orbit, and make it stable. But the engines failed even before this lengthy process started.
Mission controllers have been trying to get the engines started since August 15, but with little luck, Another attempted start took place on August 17, but with no tangible result.
Experts now consider the main engines a failure, and are considering using smaller thruster for boosting the spacecraft to its target orbit.
The newly-launched satellite is the most technologically advanced military communications instrument ever developed, and its goal is to make battlefield communications possible in all situations.
The system addresses fighters on ground, sea and air platforms, and provides them with improved global, survivable, highly secure, protected, communications.
The primary objective of the AEHF mission is to ensure that the US president and his military commanders never lose contact with troops on the battlefield.