El Segundo-built Satellite Goes into Operation
The US Air Force has placed the first Boeing-built Wideband Global SATCOM satellite into operation over the Pacific region, Boeing said Monday.
Built in El Segundo, the satellite "transitioned to operations" on April 16 after extensive tests proved the systems worked.
Each so-called WGS satellite has the capacity to transmit information at rates of more than three gigabits per second, more than 10 times the capacity of the government's Defense Satellite Communications System.
WGS-1 was launched Oct. 10 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida.
"WGS-1 is the highest capacity Department of Defense communications satellite on orbit," Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, said in a statement. "WGS-1 is now providing essential support to military operations overseas, and Boeing looks forward to launching the second and third WGS satellites in the coming months."
Read a profile on Cooning.