WGS satellite
Global Xpress is compatible with the U.S. Air Force's WGS satellites ( fourth WGS satellite, above). Credit: U.S. Air Force

The U.S. Air Force’s fourth Boeing-built Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) was delivered Nov. 15 to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., in preparation for a January launch.

The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center said in a Nov. 18 press release that WGS-4 would undergo final processing and encapsulation before being transported to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., where it is slated to lift off Jan. 19 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket.

Three WGS satellites built by El Segundo, Calif.-based Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems are currently on orbit. The company is under contract to deliver a total of seven spacecraft and order long lead parts for an eighth. The Air Force holds an option to order a ninth WGS satellite as part of an expanded contract awarded in September.

 

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