[SatNews] The Air Force and Lockheed Martin team successfully delivered the third Advanced Extremely High Frequency communication satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, where it will be prepared for launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle.

AEHF-3 completed its California-to-Florida journey July 10th aboard an Air Force C-5 Galaxy aircraft, operated by the 60th Air Mobility Wing from Travis Air Force Base, California. Over the next several months, the satellite will undergo final launch preparations, including encapsulation in the rocket's payload fairing, and transport to Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS for integration with the Atlas V.

AEHF-3 is scheduled to launch in fall 2013. AEHF is a joint service satellite communications system that will provide survivable, global, secure, protected, and jam-resistant communications for high-priority military ground, sea and air assets. The AEHF system is the follow-on to the Milstar system, augmenting, improving and expanding the Department of Defense's Military Satellite Communications architecture.

AEHF-3 was procured from Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company by the MILSATCOM Systems Directorate, part of the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center. The MILSATCOM Systems Directorate plans, acquires and sustains space-based global communications in support of the president, secretary of defense and combat forces. The entire MILSATCOM enterprise consists of satellites, terminals and control stations and provides communications for more than 16,000 air, land and sea platforms.