The U.S. Air Force is laying the groundwork for a satellite communications capability that would assure highly secure coverage in the polar regions. The effort, still in the planning stages, would replace the three-spacecraft Advanced Polar System the Air Force had to scrap in 2003 after Congress stripped money from what was then called the Transformational Communications System. The new project, the Enhanced Polar System (EPS), would serve as a follow-on to the three Interim Polar System payloads, which are carried on classified satellites—the first was launched in 1997 and the last is set for this year.
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