Military's first Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite makes its way into orbit
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted August 16th 2010 1:12AM
posted August 16th 2010 1:12AM
The first piece of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications system made its way into space recently with the launch of the AEHF 1 satellite. Also referred to as Milstar III, the planned successor to the current Milstar system will consist of three or more geostationary satellites, each of which has five times the capacity of current Milstar satellites. They will communicate with each other directly via crosslinks, and with the ground via narrow spot beams. The AEHF "is built to provide the highest levels of protection for our nation's most critical users. Encryption, low probability of intercept and detection, jammer resistance and the ability to penetrate the electro-magnetic interference caused by nuclear weapons are essential features when communication can be of the highest priority," said Col. Michael Sarchet, commander of the Protected Satellite Communications Group at the Space and Missile Systems Center. The craft will spend the next 100 days in testing, circularizing the orbit 22,300 miles over the equator with its conventional and exotic ion propulsion systems, at which point it should enter service from an orbital location to be determined.
The awesomeness of this satellite is....
...OUT OF THIS WORLD.
I'd imagine though the president and few few people would even be allowed to use it, and only in cases of emergency.
But they would still waste billions of dollars every year keeping it running.
And four of my local schools have closed down in the past year.
Love how things are prioritized in this country.
@APV
Not really. There's a lot of people with that kind of clearance. They had to upgrade. Other countries were starting to catch up.
@Stratus41298
I hate races...
Though they always produce better results.
@APV imagine the power you need to broadcast at 300+ ghz over long distances and the people u need to maintain them. billions indeed.
@Joseph9307
Wow! Wikileaks is just revealing EVERYTHING to us, aren't they!
@Joseph9307 I wonder how much the data plan will cost them?
I was interested until I read far enough to realize this thing wasn't put up there to give me more HD channels.
@Joseph9307
Ill take 4 and...... the missus will have a margarita
@IceTheGreat
I wonder if they'll spring for the international plan? Those rates are astronomical...
@Joseph9307 I think the president needing to communicate in the event of a nuclear disaster is far more important that 4 schools in your local village...
This smells like war....
@ChimpTheSquirrel
In the same way that constant communication between commanders and personnel have won and prevented wars.
@Dante of the Inferno More in the way that "electro-magnetic interference caused by nuclear weapon" sounds like something that would occur during a war.
@Edobe
That's just future-proofing against Skynet.
@Dante of the Inferno The satellite is skynet
Skynet will run on Windows XP.
@Aguiluz
So we have about 3 years before it's so choked up on porn malware that we have to reflash the while thing?
@Edobe Sounds like prudence to me. It's no secret to easiest way to cripple our infrastructure and defenses is via electronic warfare; an EMP could easily leave us defenseless. Certain countries know this and have plans for this (China).
Still the cost is hard to swallow...
Sorry, can't really get excited about military crap.
@HansImGlueck
So, basically...you can't get excited about pretty much anything. Since we can thank the military, and its money, for pretty much all of our civilian crap.
Like GPS. And airplanes. And TV. The list goes on and on.
An insanely huge part of our taxes has been eaten up by the military, and you have to make up two out of three of your examples?
@HansImGlueck
I'll add internet to it then.
@collindow
Don't forget the concept of the internet. =)
@HansImGlueck The "military crap" is one of the reasons my country, America, is the world's best and most powerful.
@tusing What took you so long? After the first reactions (which I didn't really expect on a nerd site like this, so it's interesting) I'm surprised it took so long for somebody like you to post the obvious reply for one who has been eating this propaganda all of his/her life. I could point out that America is a continent, not a country, but I'm happy now, may the thread rest in peace (or not, feel free to keep it going, I won't mind, nor reply)
@HansImGlueck
Does anyone get confused as to which country someone is talking about when they say "America"? What term do people in other countries commonly use to refer to people from the United States?
Finally, which other countries in North or South America have "America" as part of their name?
@LMcClure >What term do people in other countries commonly use to refer to people from the United States?
Warmongers
(feel free to use the www to find out what people in other countries think, it can be quite interesting)
@HansImGlueck
I thought you weren't going to post anymore? I probably wouldn't have either if I had other people calling me on my temper tantrum BS posts.
He didn't "make up" 3 things, he was entirely right saying that those three and many more are straight from the military budget you so hate. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and the truth is that War is the reason for necessity. Maybe you should quit being a "lazy american" and do the research. Of course I understand if you refuse, not many people like to prove themselves wrong, kinda makes you feel bad. But hey, if you really take this hating of military invented technologies to heart then I actually wont be hearing from you, right? What with the internet and modern computers being war-time inventions, and the electricity that powers tem if you are anywhere near a nuclear power plant.
I'm curious what the frequency of the "Extremely HF" satellite actually is, but I suppose that's classified.
@appsman
Just two seconds on Google pulled this up: 30 to 300 GHz
@appsman
www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/allochrt.pdf
take your pick from the Govt exclusive/satellite bands
So the nuclear attacks will happen now.
It's reverse reverse reverse reverse reverse psychology. Or something like that.
Anyway, you make something that can bypass nuclear crap. Some bloke is now obviously going to want to try it out.
Pfft.
Make something like a Sun Destroyer so it will get all reversed and not explode in billions of years or something.
Go mess with that instead.
Yes, I know... I am brilliant.
Col. Sanders does satellites?
"Really High Frequency?"
---"Nah, too informal."
"Spectacularly High Frequency?"
---"Hmm, too grandiose."
"Unbelievably High Frequency
Fantastically High Frequency
Extremely High Frequency
Gobsmackingly High Frequency"
---"Wait, go back one..."
@Pryomancer Extremely high frequency is a real RF frequency band. It's not just a made up name to sound cool (or uncool).
@Narutogrey That's pretty interesting, but someone still had to decide the name. It may not have been the military, but someone, somewhere hit the OK button for that name. It just sounds odd, that's all.
Can our Chinese friends hack this one ?
@symbian Hack it? They made it for us and *promised* not to eavesdrop.
Another secret tool of the NWO.
no secrets stay forever cmon its always more fun with a lil more contrevesy round here n there ... during nuclear war the weapons will emit gamma rays btw those have much more high frequency..so its kinda logical to make it more powerfull ..if u r in a bunker deep deep in da ground..and that event just occured and on top of u there is a huge radio active cloud ...do u think it will work ? lets spent our cash on satelites for that reasoun yeaaah go ahead make em fat n fansy ..who will be alive to use it afterwords anyway ...
All your base are belong to us
I seriously do wonder where all the required computer chips were built and if they are absolutely certain of every line of code within them.
What's the point of encrypting your data when you got Joe Biden ??
"The AEHF "is built to provide the highest levels of protection for our nation's most critical users. Encryption, low probability of intercept and detection, jammer resistance and the ability to penetrate the electro-magnetic interference caused by nuclear weapons"
And in a war, a $50 sack of BBs will take it out of service. Then it's on to Plan B, those old-timey VHF backup satellites parked in stealth cocoons.
@Ed T You're gonna need a BB gun that can shoot BB's at escape velocity. Not to mention that you will need to time these BB's to hit the satellite in the precisely right place at the precise time. And BB's that can cause enough damage to a satellite designed to withstand space junk travelling at hundreds of miles per hour. Total cost? More that $50.
It's funny how most people ignore or are not even thinking of what the US. "Military" has been transformed into. A separate governing body not even responsible to the people they say they support..Their citizens! They are a complete body unto themselves only & they plan to rule the world by force just like Jesus will soon after His second coming by force in Love not by fascism, hate & weapons of war!
@ericnueman
Oh you;Glen Beck posting under a different name. Didn't fool me thats for sure. I recognize your crazy gibberish anywhere!