Air Force to launch two more AEHF satellites in 2012

The Air Force has activated its Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellite after a 14-month struggle to get it into the correct orbit and is preparing to launch two more of the jam-proof spacecraft in 2012, reports Aviation Week.

Debris in the propulsion system prevented the spacecraft’s liquid-fueled booster engine from putting the satellite in its correct apogee, officials said. The spacecraft, which was launched in August 2010, did not reach its correct orbit until this Oct. 24.

At this point, all systems on the AEHF spacecraft are performing as expected, the officials said.