Engineering:WGS-11
| Names | WGS SV-11 Wideband Global SATCOM-11 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Military communications |
| Operator | United States Air Force / United States Space Force |
| Website | https://www.spaceforce.mil/ |
| Mission duration | 14 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | WGS-11 |
| Spacecraft type | WGS Block II Follow-On |
| Bus | BSS-702X |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Satellite Systems |
| Launch mass | 5,987 kg (13,199 lb) |
| Dry mass | 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) |
| Power | 11 kW |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2024 (planned) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
WGS-11 or Wideband Global SATCOM 11 is a United States ] military communications satellite to be operated by the United States Space Force as part of the Wideband Global SATCOM Program. Scheduled for 2024, it is the eleventh WGS satellite. It will be in geostationary orbit. The WGS-11 was purchased by the United States Air Force .[1]
Overview
The WGS system is a constellation of highly capable military communications satellites that leverage cost-effective methods and technological advances in the communications satellite industry. The WGS system is composed of three principal segments: Space Segment (satellites), Control Segment (operators) and Terminal Segment (users). Each WGS satellite provides service in multiple frequency bands, with the unprecedented ability to cross-band between the two frequencies onboard the satellite. WGS augments other satellites.[2]
In early 2001, a satellite communications industry team led by Boeing Satellite Systems was selected to develop the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) system as successors to the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) series of communications satellites. This satellite communications system is intended to support the warfighter with newer and far greater capabilities than provided by current systems. In March 2007, the acronym WGS was changed to Wideband Global SATCOM.[1]
Just one WGS satellite provides more SATCOM capacity than the entire legacy Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) constellation.[2]
As the backbone of the U.S. military's global satellite communications, Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite system provides flexible, high-capacity communications for the Nation's warfighters through procurement and operation of the satellite constellation and the associated control systems. WGS provides worldwide flexible, high data rate and long haul communications for the Department of Defense (DoD), governmental organizations and international partners.[2]
Satellite description
In March 2018, U.S. Congress added US$605 million of funds for two more satellites, WGS-11 and WGS-12, which were not requested before. This resulted in the order of WGS-11 in April 2019 for a 2023 launch. This satellite will be based on the BSS-702X variant of Boeing's commercial 702 satellite line that will provide improved signal power and bandwidth efficiency compared to earlier WGS satellites..[1] The U.S. Space Force will launch the craft and will perform the command-and-control functions during its 14-year life expectancy.[1] Built by Boeing Satellite Systems, WGS-11 is based on the BSS-702X satellite bus. It has a mass at launch of 5,987 kg (13,199 lb), and was expected to operate for fourteen years. The spacecraft is equipped with two solar panels to generate power for its communications payload, which consists of cross-band X-band and Ka-band transponders. Propulsion will be provided by an R-4D-15 apogee motor, with four XIPS-25 ion engines for stationkeeping.[1]
Launch
WGS-11 will be launched in 2024.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "WGS 11". Gunter's Space Page. 19 November 2020. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/wgs-11.htm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Fact Sheets: Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite". United States Space Force. October 2020. https://www.spaceforce.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Article/2197740/wideband-global-satcom-satellite/.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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