The Air Force launched the second of its wideband global satcom military communication satellites on April 3 from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. An Atlas V rocket successfully carried the satellite, which is designated WGS-2, into space. Boeing, the satellite’s manufacturer, announced April 6 that it had acquired the first on-orbit signals from WGS-2, which indicated that “the spacecraft is healthy and ready to begin orbital maneuvers and operational testing.” Following a series of orbital maneuvers and on-orbit testing, WGS-2 will begin operations. WGS-2 joins the WGS-1 on orbit, which was placed in space in October 2007 and entered service last April. Boeing is under contract to build three WGS Block I and three more capable Block II satellites. They will augment and eventually replace Defense Satellite Communication System satellites, providing a giant leap in communications bandwidth throughput over the DSCS constellation. (Includes Cape Canaveral report by 2nd Lt. Karl Wiest)
The Space Force relies entirely on data—but it lacks the systems and tools to analyze and share that data properly even within the service, let alone with international partners, officials said May 1.