Encapsulation Up Next For WGS-2 Satellite

The U.S. Air Force's second Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft was shipped to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on January 20th.

WGS-2 was transported to the launch site in an environmentally controlled container aboard an Air Force C-5 aircraft. From there, the satellite was transported to the Astrotech Space Facility in Titusville, Florida, for post-shipment processing. Over the next several weeks, the spacecraft will undergo various verification testing procedures and encapsulation in which the satellite is placed inside the nose cone at the top of the launch vehicle. WGS-2 is currently scheduled to be launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle on March 9th.

This major milestone has come at the end of extensive testing and verification of the satellite's capability. This test program also verifies the satellite's ability to withstand the rigors of launch and exposure to the harsh space environment over its projected 14-year mission life. The WGS-2 satellite will provide the warfighter with the same capabilities as WGS-1 while extending the global coverage. WGS is the nation's next-generation wideband SATCOM system and is being procured through a commercial contract between Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. and the Wideband SATCOM Group, part of MILSATCOM Systems Wing. Boeing is on contract to provide six WGS satellites to the government in two blocks. The first block will be complete after the launch of WGS-3, currently scheduled for later this year. The second block includes satellites 4, 5 and 6, which is scheduled to begin launching in 2011.