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.
RELATED ARTICLES
Proposed Canadian Investment in U.S. WGS System Raises Questions