AEHF-2, the Air Force’s second Advanced Extremely High Frequency military communications satellite, arrived last week at its geostationary orbit after more than four months of maneuvering into position, announced service space officials. The satellite will now undergo payload activation and then about two months of testing before the Air Force clears it to assume operations, states the service’s release on Aug. 10, the same day as its arrival on station. The Air Force and its industry partners launched AEHF-2 into space on May 4 from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. Lockheed Martin is the AEHF prime contractor. AEHF satellites are designed to provide survivable, secure, and jam-resistant communications for the US military and national leadership. These spacecraft will replace the current Milstar constellation. AEHF-1 completed on-orbit testing earlier this year.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.