The Wideband Gapfiller Satellite Program
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The WGS program is actually a set of 13-kilowatt spacecraft based upon Boeing’s model 702 commercial satellite. These satellites will support the USA’s warfighting information exchange requirements, enabling execution of tactical command and control, communications, and computers; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR); battle management; and combat support information. The program name has been changed for some reason to “Wideband Global SATCOM,” presumably to avoid the (correct) suggestion that it fills an emerging gap. Readers should be aware that references to either title in documents, archives, or the media denote the same program.
Upon its first launch into geosynchronous orbit, WGS Flight 1 will become the U.S. Department of Defense’s highest capacity communication satellite. Each satellite can route 2.4 to 3.6 Gbps of data – providing more than 10 times the communications capacity of the predecessor DSCS III satellite. Indeed, One WGS satellite will provide more throughput than the entire Defense Service Communications Satellite (DSCS) constellation currently on station. Using reconfigurable antennas and a digital channelizer, WGS also offers added flexibility to tailor its coverage areas, and to connect X-band and Ka-band users anywhere within the satellite’s field of view. Unlike programs like AEHF or T-SAT, however, WGS offers wideband communications that are “unprotected” against jamming and nuclear effects.
This is DID’s FOCUS Article covering the WGS program. The most recent development is early handover and full operation of the first WGS satellite…
- WGS: Capabilities & Role
- The WGS Program & Schedule
- WGS Program: Contracts & Key Events
- Additional Readings
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