The Advanced Extremely High Frequency military communications satellite completed initial activation of the protected communications payload Oct. 26 - 28 and begun on-orbit testing, according to a Nov. 1 statement from Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center. Air Force is calling this a major advancement for the "new generation of protected communications satellite."

"By the end of November we should have completed sufficient testing to confidently make the decision on whether to ship and subsequently launch SV-2 in April 2012," said Dave Madden, director of SMC's MILSATCOM systems directorate in a statement. 

AEHF was scheduled to arrived at its orbital slot in late October, a few weeks later than the Oct. 3 date Air Force officials planned for in June, according to a Sept. 21, 2011 Air Force statement. The Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)-built satellite, the first of a constellation meant to replace the aging Milstar system, faced several delays leading up to this point. The project hit major setbacks in August 2010 when an on-board thruster meant to send the satellite into geosynchronous orbit shut down prematurely following the bird's Aug. 14, 2010 launch on an Atlas V rocket.