Military Reconnaissance Satellite Launched by China

China successfully launched another Earth observation satellite from the Jiuquan space base Friday, according to state-run media outlets.

The Yaogan 9 spacecraft blasted off from Jiuquan on a Long March 4C rocket at 0455 GMT (11:55 p.m. EST Thursday), or 12:55 p.m. local time. The three-stage rocket successfully delivered the secret payload to orbit, the state-owned Xinhua news agency reported.


The Jiuquan launch site is located in the Gobi desert near the border between China's Gansu and Inner Mongolia provinces. Jiuquan has hosted the launches of all three Chinese human spaceflights to date.

Yaogan 9 is the newest member of a series of satellites believed to harbor optical and radar military reconnaissance capabilities.

The satellite "would be used to conduct scientific experiment[s], carry out surveys on land resources, forecast grain output and help with natural disaster-reduction and prevention endeavor[s]," state media reports said.

But most experts believe the Yaogan series includes two variants with high-resolution electro-optical cameras and cloud-piercing radars designed to see targets through inclement weather or darkness.

In the past, optical Yaogan satellites launched from Jiuquan and radar-equipped spacecraft were shot into orbit from the Taiyuan space center in northern China's Shanxi province.

Before Friday's mission, analysts believed China had orbited three electro-optical Yaogan satellites and five radar payloads.

Previous Yaogan launches from Jiuquan used the less powerful Long March 2D booster. The Long March 4C launched Friday includes a restartable third stage to increase payload performance. Chinese officials did not address the change in rocket, but the more powerful launcher could indicate the mission carried an upgraded Yaogan satellite.

Official Chinese media did not announce the launch until Thursday, a typical communications procedure for closely-guarded military space missions.
Friday's launch was the second orbital flight of Chinese rockets this year, and it marked the ninth space launch to reach orbit worldwide so far in 2010.

(SpaceFlightNow)
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MUOS Satellite delayed further

The Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite is facing another significant delay, pushing out the availability of the US Navy's next-generation ultra-high frequency satellite until December 2011, according to a report submitted to Congress by the service's top weapons buyer.


Back in February 2007 the Australian government announced that an MoU had been agreed between the Australian Department of Defence and the US Navy, setting out the governing arrangements for a joint military communications ground station near Geraldton, Western Australia.

The purpose of the joint ground station is to support the US Navy's MUOS, a narrow-band networked satellite constellation for UHF satellite comms enabling secure all-weather and all-terrain 3G mobile telecommunications.

It is designed to support US and Australian military users including deployed forces.

The MUOS ground station is collocated with the Australian Defence Satellite Communications Ground Station at Kojarena, 30 km east of Geraldton WA, but will be managed separately.

Boeing Australia Ltd was awarded a contract to develop the MUOS compound at the Australian ground site with the station scheduled to become operational by March 2010.

However, the MUOS constellation of four geosynchronous satellites (and one spare) will not reach full operational capability until some time after 2014.

General Dynamics C4 Systems is the lead contractor for the entire MUOS ground infrastructure and GD and Ericsson are also providing the waveform technology driving MUOS capabilities.

Based on its 3G technology, Ericsson's WC DMA will be modified by GD to operate over the satellite.

It is anticipated that there will be emphasis on dismounted handheld user terminals provided under the JTRS Cluster 5 program, which is a major user of this waveform, with the same applying to future ADF users already familiar with JTRS capable radios - which will now sport 3G waveforms.

(Australian Defence)
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