America's Biggest Military Airplane: Transported The 4 Military Satellite From California To...

In a new vAideo from the U.S. Air Force, you can see the monstrous C-5M Super Galaxy slowly swallow an entire Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite as if it were a snake eating a big ol' rodent. The huge cargo plane then ferries its delicate cargo across country for liftoff from a Florida spaceport.

The loading took place on July 26, 2020, at Moffett Federal Airfield in Sunnyvale, California. A former naval air station, Moffett is often used as a pickup location for satellites built in Silicon Valley.

In this case, the satellite was AEHF-4, an Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellite built by Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems division that is based in Sunnyvale. AEHF is designed to provide jam-resistant secure communications for the U.S. and its allies.

Designed to replace the older Milstar network, AEHF is capable of high bandwidth transmission, including real-time video, battlefield maps, and targeting data, at a pace of 10 megabits per second. A total of six AEHF satellites will make up the global network, with three already in Earth orbit.

As the video shows, the satellite just clears the C-5M’s cargo box with inches to spare. AEHF-4 itself is covered with a white tarp to prevent its exposure to the elements. The flight crew slowly edges the satellite to make sure it doesn’t run into any protrusions inside the aircraft, and the video is helpfully sped up. Once in place, the Super Galaxy takes departs Moffett Field. Next stop, sunny Florida.

This AEHF-4 was boosted into orbit on October 17, 2020, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas-5 rocket. AEHF satellites reside in geosynchronous equatorial orbit at an altitude of 22,236 miles above the Earth, high enough that only six satellites are needed for global coverage. Each satellite has an expected service life of 14 years.This AEHF-4 was boosted into orbit on October 17, 2020, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas-5 rocket. AEHF satellites reside in geosynchronous equatorial orbit at an altitude of 22,236 miles above the Earth, high enough that only six satellites are needed for global coverage. Each satellite has an expected service life of 14 years.