MUOS-1 Postponed Again

MUOS-1 Navy Communications Satellite atop an Atlas V 551 Image Credit: Justin Ray/Spaceflight Now The launch of an Atlas V 551, carrying the U.S. Navy’s Mobile User Objective System 1 (MUOS-1) satellite, has been postponed for a second time due to weather. It has been rescheduled for Wednesday, 22 February, at the earliest. The vehicle and payload are being rolled back to the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) due to the weather. The MUOS-1 (pdf) is the heaviest payload (almost 15,000 pounds) ever launched by an Atlas V rocket. This launch will mark the 200th mission flown by a Centaur upper stage. The Navy MUOS system is designed to provide UHF communication services to all branches of the military. It will provide communications capabilities to smaller terminals and maintain compatibility with legacy terminals. The MUOS system is designed for users requiring high mobility, high data rates and improved operational availability. The system will furnish ten times the capacity of the current UHF SATCOM system. It will support simultaneous voice (full-duplex), video and data, leveraging 3G mobile communications technology.