Space Force satellite passes initial design review

U.S. Space Force personnel said the agency’s Boeing-developed Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS)-11+ communications satellite successfully completed its first major engineering design review.

“Completing this engineering design review is a key milestone and brings us one step closer to delivering this groundbreaking satellite to the warfighter in record time, significantly improving capacity and coverage to our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and allies,” Col. John Dukes, chief of the Geosynchronous/Polar Division at Space and Missile Systems Center Production Corps, said.

Authorities indicated Boeing is now prepared to proceed to the final system design phase. Production is slated to begin next year at Boeing’s El Segundo factory – with delivery scheduled for 2024.

“WGS-11+ uses narrower spot beams to deliver a stronger, more reliable connection exactly where it’s needed, which means better performance and greater flexibility than ever before,” Troy Dawson, vice president of Boeing Government Satellite Systems, said.

The WGS constellation will provide service to international partners, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Norway, in addition to military personnel.

Boeing personnel said the company is a top exporter supporting commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries – building on a legacy of aerospace leadership.