Air Force launches another Wideband Global SATCOM
- By Defense Systems Staff
- Aug 08, 2013
The U.S. Air Force successfully launched the latest Boeing-built Wideband Global SATCOM satellite on Aug. 7. The sixth satellite in the WGS constellation is expected to become operational by early 2014.
The satellite was launched aboard a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. WGS-5 was launched earlier this year and was deployed on May 24.
“The demand for wideband satellite communications continues to increase,” Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems, said in a statement. An additional WGS spacecraft will complete the space network, Cooning added.
WGS provides X- and Ka-band protected communications capabilities to the Defense Department and international partners like the Australian Defence Force.