By Neal Ungerleider
The United States Naval Research Laboratory has unveiled its latest piece of high-tech equipment designed to help U.S. troops in the battlefield: A sophisticated satellite that will allow Marines in mountainous regions to use radios without having to stop to position special antennas. The satellite, called the Tactical Satellite 4 (TacSat-4), is scheduled for a September 27 launch in Kodiak, Alaska.
The satellite will “support forward deployed forces at sea and Marines on the ground,” said Larry Schuette, director of innovation at the Department of Defense’s Office of Naval Research.
While TacSat-4 is not specifically intended for Afghanistan, the satellite will make troop communications there much easier.
Much of Afghanistan is mountainous and radio reception is often difficult for troops who are away from base. Coalition forces have already built an intricate network of antennas and transmitters to ease operations in the Central Asian country.
The satellite will be launched aboard a private spacecraft, the Minotaur-IV+, operated by Orbital Sciences Corporation.
Both troops operating in mountainous areas and sailors in the Arctic will benefit from the new satellite; conventional UHF satellites have trouble reaching both high altitudes and latitudes.
A formal military satellite overview also indicates the satellite will work in tandem with Blue Force Tracking, a GPS-enabled system designed to provide commanders with location information for both friendly and hostile forces.
TacSat-4 will be able to provide communications to high latitudes thanks to its orbit. The satellite will be positioned in a highly elliptical orbit with an apogee of 12,050 kilometers; the non-traditional positioning means that it can reach parts of the globe other satellites have difficulties serving.
The upcoming launch, which will take place in Kodiak, Alaska, will be the 100th Naval Research satellite sent into orbit. TacSat-4 is part of the larger Tactical Satellite Program; the Air Force is already accepting bids to develop spacecraft technologies for successor satellite TacSat-5.
Neal Ungerleider is a New York-based journalist who writes for TPM on the intersection of technology and policy. Follow him on Twitter.
