The Air Force and United Launch Alliance (ULA) on Wednesday successfully launched the eighth Wideband Global Satcom (WGS-8) satellite, according to a service statement.
Launch took place at 6:53 p.m. EST at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on a Delta IV rocket. Over the next few months, WGS-8 prime contractor Boeing [BA] will begin on-orbit testing of the satellite to verify performance and prepare the satellite for operational use. WGS-8 is scheduled to enter operations in early 2017. With two more satellites in production, the WGS constellation is planned to have a total of 10 satellites on orbit by 2019.
The WGS constellation is the highest-capacity military communications system in the Pentagon’s arsenal. ULA is a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin [LMT].