Air Force Launches Rocket Carrying a Navy Satellite Aloft

The Air Force launched an unmanned Atlas V (five) rocket Tuesday night from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket hoisted the third in a series of Mobile and User Objective System satellites. The first satellite in the MUOS (MEW-ows) network was launched in 2012 and the second in 2013. A fourth is set to fly this summer. The satellite system is intended to improve ground communications for U.S. military forces. It's expected to achieve full operational capability in two more years. United Launch Alliance provided the rocket.

ABC News
U.S. Navy
ULA Launch central

I have a back row seat to this and yet I do get to see it travel the whole way up as any launch out of the Cape given good weather. Now how far up do you think this Sat will be, given they need four to cover the entire planet?

REALLY FRACKING HIGH LOL. The good news is we will have no more communications problems as shown in the movie Lone Survivor. One would only have wished we would have had this system up and running before this war on terror. Just imagine how many lives it would have saved. Never mind the fact that it will allow the basic infantry person to call anyone at anytime, from anywhere on earth securely.

Soon we'll just say Navy Space Command........
great find here!!

If im not mistaken, they are only using three for the actual system. The forth is for an on orbit backup in case one of the others fail. So increase that height a little bit more. lol