[MilCom] New Navy Satellite

[Greg Brazil]

ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- The Department of the Navy began counting down 
the final days to a Sept. 27 launch of its new joint tactical satellite, 
which will bring on-the-go communications to the battlefield.

The Tactical Microsatellite (TacSat)-4, funded by the Office of Naval 
Research (ONR) and developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), is 
scheduled to begin transmitting data 30 days later.

"TacSat-4 fills a Navy and Marine Corps capability gap by enabling 
'comms on the move,'" said Bob McCoy, an ONR senior scientist. "That is 
a unique feature of this system-no other Department of Defense [DoD] 
satellite system can relay information from the satellite all the way 
down to warfighters' portable communications packs and handheld radios."

It enables warfighters to use a regular handheld radio for mobile 
communications without having to stop and set up an antenna in the 
field. This eliminates downtime and maintains connectivity to the base 
of operations at all times, so one is never out of touch, said John 
Moniz, ONR's program officer for Expeditionary Warfare Command, Control, 
Computers and Communication, whose work could potentially benefit from 
TacSat-4.

The fourth-generation microsatellite, TacSat-4, is smaller - weighing 
990 pounds as opposed to the industry average of approximately 4,300 
pounds and is less expensive than a conventional system. It is designed 
to support traditional satellite communications, providing two hours of 
coverage, up to three times per day in multiple theaters, worldwide in a 
24-hour period.

"This gives additional capability and more communications channels to 
where there's a 'hot spot' in the world," McCoy said.

TacSat-4's communication is also flexible and faster, providing dynamic 
channel assignments within 24 hours during normal operations rather than 
the typical several days. It offers a smarter, more efficient way of 
assigning channels.

The satellite will carry an ONR-sponsored payload built by NRL on 
infrastructure funded by the former DoD Office of Force Transformation 
and built by NRL and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics 
Laboratory. The Operationally Responsive Space Office funded the launch, 
which is managed by the Space Development and Test Directorate, a 
directorate of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, and 
performed using a Minotaur-IV rocket built by Orbital Sciences.

ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy 
and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR 
is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 
countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry 
partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, 
civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval 
Research Lab in Washington, D.C.

For more news from Office of Naval Research, visit www.navy.mil/local/onr/.
			
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