Navy, Lockheed Complete Third MUOS Delivery; Iris Bombelyn Comments

The U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin moved closer to the completion of the Mobile User Objective System constellation with a new satellite delivery to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Nov. 5.

MUOS-3 is the third spacecraft in the satellite array and is due for further tests before it is loaded onto an Atlas V rocket for  launch early next year.

The technology works to help users send and receive calls or transfer data from “anywhere in the world” through a secure communications system, Iris Bombelyn, vice president of narrowband communications at Lockheed, said Thursday.

“With the launch of the third satellite in the constellation, to be followed later in 2015 by the fourth, MUOS will be in place to provide pole-to-pole and global, secure communications for the warfighter,” she added.

The on-orbit MUOS-1 and MUOS-2 came online in 2012 and 2013, respectively, and are operated under the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Space Systems and Communications Satellite Program Office.