# USA-214

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United States Space Force military communications satellite constellation

USA-214 Artist's impression of an AEHF-1 satellite Names AEHF-1 Advanced Extremely High Frequency-1 Mission type Military communications Operator United States Air Force / United States Space Force COSPAR ID 2010-039A SATCAT no. 36868 Website https://www.spaceforce.mil/ Mission duration 14 years (planned) 15 years, 10 months and 19 days (in progress) Spacecraft properties Spacecraft AEHF-1 Bus A2100M Manufacturer Lockheed Martin Space Launch mass 6,168 kg (13,598 lb) Start of mission Launch date 14 August 2010, 11:07:00 UTC Rocket Atlas V 531 (AV-019) Launch site Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 Contractor United Launch Alliance Orbital parameters Reference system Geocentric orbit[1] Regime Geosynchronous orbit Advanced Extremely High Frequency program AEHF-2 →

**USA-214**, also known as **Advanced Extremely High Frequency-1** or **AEHF-1**, is a military [communications satellite](/source/Communications_satellite) operated by the [United States Air Force](/source/United_States_Air_Force). It is the first of six satellites to be launched as part of the [Advanced Extremely High Frequency](/source/Advanced_Extremely_High_Frequency) program, which will replace the earlier [Milstar](/source/Milstar) system.[2]

## Satellite description

The USA-214 satellite was constructed by [Lockheed Martin Space](/source/Lockheed_Martin_Space), and is based on the [A2100](/source/Lockheed_Martin_A2100) [satellite bus](/source/Satellite_bus). The satellite has a mass of 6,168 kg (13,598 lb) and a design life of 14 years.[3] It will be used to provide [super high frequency](/source/Super_high_frequency) (SHF) and [extremely high frequency](/source/Extremely_high_frequency) (EHF) communications for the [United States Armed Forces](/source/United_States_Armed_Forces), as well as those of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada.[2]

## Launch

AEHF-1 was launched on an [Atlas V](/source/Atlas_V).

Though initially scheduled for launch on 30 July 2010, delays with the [launch vehicle](/source/Launch_vehicle) pushed flight back to 10 August 2010, and finally to 14 August 2010.[4]

USA-214 was launched by [United Launch Alliance](/source/United_Launch_Alliance), aboard an [Atlas V](/source/Atlas_V) 531 flying from [Space Launch Complex-41](/source/Cape_Canaveral_Space_Launch_Complex_41) (SLC-41) at the [Cape Canaveral Air Force Station](/source/Cape_Canaveral_Space_Force_Station) (CCAFS). The launch occurred at 11:07:00 [UTC](/source/Coordinated_Universal_Time) on 14 August 2010,[5] and resulted in the satellite being deployed successfully into a [geostationary transfer orbit](/source/Geostationary_transfer_orbit) (GTO) with a [perigee](/source/Apsis) of 221 km (137 mi), an [apogee](/source/Apsis) of 50,179 km (31,180 mi), and 22.2° [Orbital inclination](/source/Orbital_inclination).[6]

## Anomaly

The satellite was intended to maneuver from the transfer orbit into which it was launched to its operational [geosynchronous orbit](/source/Geosynchronous_orbit) by means of a [liquid apogee engine](/source/Liquid_apogee_engine) (LAE) and several [Hall-effect thrusters](/source/Hall-effect_thruster), a process which normally takes 105 days.[7][8][9] However, the satellite's Liquid Apogee Engine malfunctioned shortly after ignition on both its first burn on 15 August 2010 and a second attempt on 17 August 2010,[10] and it was declared inoperable.[7][11]

To solve the problem, the perigee altitude was raised to 4,700 km (2,900 mi) using twelve firings of the smaller Reaction Engine Assembly thrusters, originally intended for [attitude control](/source/Spacecraft_attitude_control) during LAE maneuvers.[12] From this altitude, the [solar arrays](/source/Solar_panels_on_spacecraft) were deployed and the orbit was raised toward the operational orbit over the course of nine months using the 0.27 [Newton](/source/Newton_(unit)) Hall effect thruster, a form of [electric propulsion](/source/Electrically_powered_spacecraft_propulsion) which is highly efficient, but produces very low thrust and is therefore very slow.

The problem with the liquid apogee engine was later blamed on a piece of cloth accidentally left in a fuel line leading up to the engine while the line was taken apart for repair during the manufacture of the satellite. The cloth was likely placed in the line to prevent impurities from entering the fuel line and did not get removed when the line was put back together.[13]

## See also

- [Spaceflight portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Spaceflight)

- [2010 in spaceflight](/source/2010_in_spaceflight)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-heavens-above_1-0)** ["AEHF 1 (USA 214)"](http://www.heavens-above.com/orbit.aspx?satid=36868). Heavens Above. Retrieved 25 December 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-MOB_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-MOB_2-1) ["Atlas V AEHF-1 Mission Overview"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110722081830/http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/docs/missionbooklets/AV/av_aehf1_mob.pdf) (PDF). United Launch Alliance. Archived from [the original](http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/docs/missionbooklets/AV/av_aehf1_mob.pdf) (PDF) on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GSP_3-0)** ["AEHF 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6"](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/aehf-1.htm). Gunter's Space Page. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["AEHF-1 Launch Delayed"](https://www.airforcemag.com/aehf-1launchdelayed/). Air Force Magazine. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Ray, Justin (14 August 2010). ["Rise and shine: Atlas 5 rocket successfully soars at dawn"](http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av019/). Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 16 August 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** McDowell, Jonathan (12 August 2010). ["Issue 632"](http://planet4589.org/space/jsr/latest.html). Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 16 August 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-SFN-EngineFailure_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-SFN-EngineFailure_7-1) Ray, Justin (30 August 2010). ["Military satellite relying on backup plan to save itself"](http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av019/100830orbit.html). Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 31 August 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Butler, Amy (15 November 2010). ["Japanese Engine Not AEHF Issue: USAF Official"](http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2010/11/12/02.xml). Aviation Week. Retrieved 29 January 2011.[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Butler, Amy (22 November 2010). ["USAF: AEHF-1 Engine Failure An Anomaly"](http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=space&id=news/awst/2010/11/22/AW_11_22_2010_p36-270626.xml). Aviation Week. Retrieved 29 January 2011.[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Ray, Justin (2 September 2010), *Spaceflight Now*, [Investigators probing what went wrong with AEHF 1](http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av019/100902inquiry.html) (accessed 14 December 2011)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Main engine probably not to blame for AEHF-1 trouble"](http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av019/101019aehf2.html). Retrieved 19 October 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Ray2011_12-0)** Ray, Justin (9 October 2011), *Spaceflight Now*, [Air Force satellite's epic ascent should finish soon](http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av019/111009.html) (accessed 14 December 2011)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Delicate rescue saves stranded US$1.7 billion U.S. satellite"](https://www.denverpost.com/2012/03/17/delicate-rescue-saves-stranded-1-7b-us-satellite/). Associated Press. 17 March 2012.

v t e ← 2009 Orbital launches in 2010 2011 → January Compass-G1 Globus-1M No.12L February Progress M-04M STS-130 (Tranquility, Cupola) SDO Intelsat 16 March Kosmos 2459 / GLONASS-M 731, Kosmos 2460 / GLONASS-M 732, Kosmos 2461 / GLONASS-M 735 GOES-15 / EWS-G2 Yaogan 9A, Yaogan 9B, Yaogan 9C EchoStar XIV April Soyuz TMA-18 STS-131 (Leonardo MPLM) CryoSat-2 GSAT-4 Kosmos 2462 USA-212 SES-1 Kosmos 2463 Progress M-05M May STS-132 (Rassvet, ICC-VLD) Akatsuki, IKAROS (DCAM-1, DCAM-2), Shin'en, Waseda-SAT2, Hayato, Negai ☆'' Astra 3B, COMSATBw-2 USA-213 June SERVIS-2 Compass-G3 Badr-5 Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit STSAT-2B Shijian XII Prisma, Picard, BPA-1 Soyuz TMA-19 TanDEM-X Ofek-9 Arabsat-5A, Chollian Progress M-06M July EchoStar XV Cartosat-2B, AlSat-2A, StudSat, AISSat-1, TIsat-1 Compass-IGSO1 August Nilesat 201, RASCOM-QAF 1R Yaogan 10 USA-214 Tian Hui 1 September Kosmos 2464, Kosmos 2465, Kosmos 2466 Chinasat-6A Gonets-M No.2, Kosmos 2467, Kosmos 2468 Progress M-07M Michibiki USA-215 Yaogan 11, Zheda Pixing 1B, Zheda Pixing 1C USA-216 Kosmos 2469 October Chang'e 2 Shijian 6G, Shijian 6H Soyuz TMA-01M XM-5 Globalstar 73, Globalstar 74, Globalstar 75, Globalstar 76, Globalstar 77, Globalstar 79 Progress M-08M Eutelsat W3B, BSat 3B Compass-G4 November Meridian 3 Fengyun 3B COSMO-4 SkyTerra-1 STPSat-2, USA-220 / FASTSAT (NanoSail-D2), USA-221 / FalconSat-5, USA-222 / FASTRAC-1, USA-222 / FASTRAC-2, USA-218 / RAX, USA-219 / O/OREOS USA-223 / Orion 7 Chinasat 20A Intelsat 17, HYLAS-1 December Glonass-M No.39, Glonass-M No.40, Glonass-M No.41 SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 1, Mayflower, SMDC-ONE 1, QbX-1, QbX-2, Perseus 000, Perseus 001, Perseus 002, Perseus 003 Soyuz TMA-20 Compass-IGSO2 GSAT-5P KA-SAT Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [USA-214](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA-214) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA-214?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.