On Sept. 2, MUOS-4 — the fourth satellite in a series of five — soared high into the sky to join its predecessors in the U.S. Navy’s constellation of Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellites. The satellite launched at 6:18 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Approximately three hours after takeoff, MUOS-4’s signal was acquired.
The launch, originally scheduled for August 31, was delayed due to the looming threat of Tropical Storm Erika. The Sept. 2 launch was flawless.
In an Aug. 28 call with reporters, Capt. Joe Kan, MUOS program manager at the Navy Communications Satellite Program Office (PMW 146), discussed the significance of MUOS-4’s place in the grouping of satellites. “As we prepare for the fourth launch, I’d like to emphasize that [the addition of MUOS-4] completes the operational MUOS capability,” Kan said. Thanks to the MUOS satellites that are currently on orbit, the constellation is already operational with the legacy payload, according to Kan.
With the expert design and development of MUOS, the U.S. Navy continues to lead in advanced military satellite communications. Designed with mobile U.S. forces in mind, MUOS is a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system for users who require worldwide, secure voice and video and mission data at higher data rates.
More specifically, the MUOS constellation acts as a smartphone network in space, leveraging commercial cellphone technology to provide users 10 times more communications capability over existing systems.
"For our mobile forces, that means for the first time they will be able to have secure, high-fidelity voice conversations, networked team calls and data exchange, including video, with anyone around the world connected with a MUOS terminal," Iris Bombelyn, vice president of Narrowband Communications at Lockheed Martin, said, who joined Kan in the media call.
The satellites can route calls directly between users or relay calls to other MUOS satellites to connect more widely separated users, operating much like cell phone towers do to link terrestrial phone calls, according to the Program Executive Office (PEO) for Space Systems, located at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) in San Diego, which runs the MUOS program.
However, mobile users on the ground aren’t the only ones to reap the benefits of this enhanced capability. The Navy plays a key role in national space efforts by providing narrowband satellite communications for the Defense Department and other government agencies, and MUOS services are available for ships, aircraft and vehicles as well, according to PEO Space Systems.
MUOS also ensures reliable worldwide coverage for emergency assistance, disaster response, and humanitarian relief, according to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command. But MUOS capability won’t stop there; Kan said that he believes the next generation of warfighters will find innovative ways of using MUOS that the system designers had never conceived.
MUOS: A short history
As a replacement for the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Follow-On (UFO) system, MUOS satellites were designed for the ultimate purpose of improving communications for the warfighter.
Referred to as the “military’s communications workhorse” by PEO Space Systems, the UHF spectrum was the only radio frequency with the ability to penetrate jungle foliage, inclement weather and urban terrain. Additionally, more than 60 percent of military satellite communication users were supported via the UHF band prior to the MUOS-1 launch, according to PEO Space Systems.
However, the UHF constellation was approaching its end-of-life, and that’s where the MUOS program stepped in. The MUOS satellites were designed to have two payloads to ensure legacy UHF narrowband communications accessibility and the forthcoming enhanced new capabilities. "The MUOS satellite has two payloads. It has a legacy payload that supports the current user base of 200,000 plus terminals worldwide, as well as the future payload that is like modern cellphone technology. This allows for a smooth transition between the current and near future capability," Kan explained.
From the inception of the program, the Navy recognized the need for adequate bandwidth to accommodate the massive double payload of the MUOS satellites. In 2008, the first version of the MUOS Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) waveform was provided to terminal developers, according to PEO Space Systems. From there, it was all systems go.
MUOS-2 followed, launching on July 19, 2013 and moving into orbit over the continental U.S. Together, the two satellites have been providing legacy communications for warfighters in many parts of the world. Additionally, the two on-orbit MUOS satellites already are demonstrating new capabilities, especially in the Arctic, an area previously beyond the coverage of UHF satellites, Bombelyn said in a January call with reporters.
As Earth’s final frontier, the Arctic’s future has been the subject of much debate. Located above 65 degrees north latitude and rich with natural resources and ripe for exploration, the Arctic is “a hotly contested area,” Bombelyn explained.
The Arctic’s remote location presented a challenge for MUOS, but Lockheed Martin determined that MUOS coverage of the Arctic was possible. This was “a huge plus for the government,” Bombelyn said. Testing was conducted at 30,000 feet delivering clear voice, voice recognition, texting, and smartphone like capabilities.
In the past year, MUOS successfully connected users near the Arctic poles during independent testing by Lockheed Martin — along with their industry partners General Dynamics, Rockwell Collins and Harris — where they demonstrated Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) capability using three different radios as far north as 89.5 degrees, under peak orbit conditions. This inherent voice and data access is well beyond the 65-degree system requirement, according to Lockheed Martin’s website. They also participated in the U.S. Navy’s 2014 Ice Exercise (ICEX) and the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic Shield 2014.
MUOS-3 launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Jan. 20. Like MUOS-1 and MUOS-2, the satellite rode into space on an Atlas V launch vehicle. Following MUOS-3 taking its designated place over the Atlantic Ocean, contractors performed on-orbit testing to verify satellite requirements and operation, according to PEO Space Systems. The Navy accepted MUOS-3 on June 5 and is planning for operational hand-over to U.S. Strategic Command.
Putting the Pieces Together
U.S. Fleet Cyber Command’s Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC) team, located in Point Mugu, California, is responsible for “flying” the MUOS satellites when they become operational in reaching their designated slot in the sky. The MUOS constellation resides at 22,000 feet above Earth in a geosynchronous orbit — defined by NASA as a geostationary orbit that does not move at all relative to the ground, but stays directly over the same place on the Earth’s surface.
As with all space-bound crafts, there are terrestrial command centers which handle operations back on Earth. The MUOS constellation of satellites work in conjunction with ground stations strategically located across the globe — Wahiawa, Hawaii; Chesapeake, Virginia; Niscemi, Italy; and Geraldton, Australia. These stations house the complex software to manage the network.
All processing is through the ground architecture, which means that a user in one part of the globe can reach out to another user that is not necessarily in the same footprint of the MUOS satellite that the originator of the call is using, according to PEO Space Systems.
Additionally, there is complex software to manage the network, along with a WCDMA waveform — a third-generation (3G) mobile wireless technology that provides higher data speeds to mobile and portable wireless devices — that serves as an interface for end-user radios to keep satellite operations running smoothly, according to PEO Space Systems.
The MUOS-waveform-equipped terminals will be able to reach out to the MUOS spacecraft, which will then communicate with the ground station. The ground station routes each individual user’s communication needs wherever it has to go around the globe.
Teamwork Makes It Happen
In the case of MUOS, collaboration and continuity are just a couple of keys to success.
The preparation for the MUOS-4 has seen the MUOS program continue to enjoy a positive partnership between the Navy, Lockheed Martin, and United Launch Alliance (ULA), as well as the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, MUOS prime contractor and system integrator, has built all of the MUOS satellites. ULA’s Atlas V 551 launch vehicles have carried all the MUOS satellites into space. Each MUOS satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Several years of consistent partnership have ensured the success of the MUOS program, and the team takes their members’ safety seriously. MUOS-4’s launch was delayed by Tropical Storm Erika, which was headed straight toward the Florida coast at the very time that the launch was to occur. During the Aug. 28 call, Lt. Col. Tom Ste. Marie, Air Force 45th Operations Group deputy commander, emphasized the importance of team safety during launches. “All of the others [satellites] have launched safely and reliably from Cape Canaveral,” he said. “ … This brings even more meaning to the saying posted at the gate of Cape Canaveral: ‘Control of the battlefield begins here.’ It really is one team,” he said.
The Army’s Manpack radio has become increasingly more valuable to the MUOS program as development has progressed. During the media call, the Army’s Program Manager of Tactical Radios, Col. James Ross, discussed the radio’s recent achievements in MUOS communications. “Manpack can transition from Earth to satellite seamlessly,” Ross said. Not only that, the radio “gives reach for any soldier in contact to be able to talk to next higher HQ no matter where they may be challenged in environments, [including] jungle, urban, mountains,” he explained.
Ross said that the Manpack radio has recently been demonstrated with cross-country calls as well as calls in different latitudes, such as the Arctic. Developmental testing is currently underway with units at Ft. Bragg, Ft. Drum and Ft. Lewis. The results will help determine the operational viability of the systems.
The next version of the Manpack radio is planned for 2017, and there will be no gap in field testing and operations across the army, according to Ross.
MUOS and the Warfighter
MUOS provides satellite communications in the narrowband spectrum. Although narrowband communication is less than two percent of total DoD bandwidth, it’s critical for warfighting. “It [narrowband] accounts for more than 50 percent of capabilities,” Kan said ahead of the MUOS-4 launch.
Warfighters will especially appreciate the higher quality communications that MUOS delivers. For example, in addition to ad-hoc situations such as disaster response, narrowband represents the majority of communications for SEAL teams in Afghanistan and ground patrols in Iraq.
“MUOS will provide crystal-clear voice communications where users will be able to recognize each other’s voices. Better than your cell phone,” Bombelyn said.
The MUOS operational capability will assure users, particularly those carrying radios in the field or while dismounted on patrol, secure on-demand voice and data communication services, both in point-to-point mode and through networked communications.
“MUOS supports speeds of over 900 mph... that’s important because it can be used in jets and submarines. Not just Manpack radios, but [radios] mounted in vehicles and submarines,” Bombelyn said.
Commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. TENTH Fleet Vice Adm. Jan Tighe referred to the 24/7 on-demand satellite communication as the “lifeblood U.S. forces to conduct operations around the world.”
“Our teammates across the DoD can rest assured that we are operating MUOS as a warfighting platform, delivering capability when and where it is needed,” she said. “Indeed the first of our five strategic goals at U.S. Fleet Cyber Command is to operate the Navy network — which includes space assets — as a warfighting platform.”
The Future of MUOS
By the end of this year, the Multi-service Operational Test and Evaluation (MOT&E) Phase Two will be completed. According to PEO Space Systems, the scope of the MOT&E is significantly expanded from the initial end-to-end tests and will use two satellites, route calls through at least two ground stations instead of a single location, and involve larger quantities of radios and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) teleports.
Next year, a launch is planned for MUOS-5. The fifth satellite will serve as an on-orbit spare with additional legacy capability.
Kan said that there is currently no final decision on the development of a sixth satellite.
In the long-term, the MUOS satellite constellation and its associated network will extend narrowband communications availability well past 2025, according to PEO Space Systems.
For now, MUOS is poised to enhance the lives of warfighters in the most valuable of ways. "With MUOS, the population of disadvantaged users is going to shrink considerably," Cmdr. Pete Sheehy, principal assistant program manager said. "And that new population of folks who have beyond-line-of-sight communication are going to be able to do their jobs more efficiently and safely. It could be as simple as that one person who otherwise might not have had beyond-line-of-sight comms being able to say 'This is where I am. This is who I am and I need help.' And know that someone is on the other side to be able to provide that support."
Where is MUOS-4 now?
After launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on an Atlas V launch vehicle Sept. 2, MUOS-4 was successfully placed in transfer orbit.
During the subsequent 10 days after launch, MUOS-4 executed a series of seven Liquid Apogee Engine burns to transition from transfer orbit to a geosynchronous orbit over the Pacific Ocean. The burns, ranging from 18 to 48 minutes, maneuvered the satellite to its test slot roughly 22,000 miles above Earth.
To fit inside the fairing atop the Atlas V launch vehicle, MUOS-4 was launched in a "stowed" configuration. Over a 36-hour span after reaching the test slot, the satellite executed all its deployment, to include antennas and solar arrays, which span 94 feet.
Contractor on-orbit testing is underway to verify MUOS-4 meets design performance specifications.
For More Information
MUOS Program