The Air Force is still working out the financial and operational implications of the anomaly that has delayed the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite, AEHF-1, from reaching its intended orbit, said Air Force Undersecretary Erin Conaton Tuesday during a budget briefing with reporters. The problem, it seems, was a blockage in one of the satellite’s fuel lines that may have been caused by “some sort of cleaning material that was used on the line, but wasn’t properly vacated” as the satellite went through production, said Richard McKinney, USAF’s deputy undersecretary for space programs, during the same briefing at the Pentagon. Officials have been able to replicate the problem during testing, and manufacturer Lockheed Martin is in the process of ensuring that AEHF-2 and AEHF-3 don’t encounter the same problem, said McKinney. The second satellite remains in storage and should be available for launch in the spring of 2012. AEHF-3 began final integration testing this month and is slated to launch as early as the fall of 2012.
Dick Cheney’s Legacy with the Air Force
Nov. 6, 2025
Dick Cheney, who died Nov. 3 at 84, is best remembered by most Americans as among the most powerful Vice Presidents in history, a consummate Washington insider who had previously served in the Nixon administration, was Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford, a Congressman for a decade, and Secretary…
