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Boeing to begin work on 4th Wideband Gapfiller Satellite BOEING NEWS RELEASE Posted: February 20, 2006 Boeing has received a $148 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to begin work on the fourth satellite in the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) system, a 13-kilowatt spacecraft based upon Boeing's 702 satellite model. The Air Force has authorized Boeing to begin non-recurring engineering and advanced procurement of parts for the fourth satellite known as WGS F4. Boeing is already under contract to build the first three satellites for the WGS system, a multi-spacecraft constellation designed to provide improved communications support for America's war fighters. Boeing is working to have the first WGS satellite ready for launch in June 2007. "The Wideband Gapfiller Satellite constellation will be a key element of a high-capacity SATCOM system, and provide a quantum leap in the communications capabilities for the war fighter. Authorization to begin developing the fourth satellite in the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite system will allow for improved effectiveness of our deployed forces and ultimately save lives," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Steve Hargis, the WGS program manager. "Boeing has leveraged a wealth of experience and capability for WGS, including extensive investments in the digital signal processors, phased array antennas and the 702 satellite bus," said Michael Gianelli, vice president of Navigation and Communications Systems for Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems. "Together, these capabilities enable the tremendous capacity and operational flexibility our nation requires. We are very pleased to be in a position to provide additional WGS capabilities to meet the government's growing needs for additional bandwidth." A single WGS satellite provides a huge leap in capability over the current Defense Satellite Communications System satellites, with more communications capacity than the entire constellation currently on station. The WGS satellites address a critical bandwidth shortfall. The satellites provide two-way, point-to-point, multicast and broadcast communications that may potentially support what is known as "communications-on-the-move" for troops in the field. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.5 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services. |
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Commander Steve Lindsey and his crew, the astronauts set to fly the second post-Columbia test flight, hold an informal news conference with reporters at Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 17. The crew is in Florida to examine hardware and equipment that will be carried on the STS-121 flight of shuttle Discovery.
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NASA Administrator Mike Griffin and his No. 2, Shana Dale, appear before the House Science Committee on Feb. 16 to defend President Bush's proposed 2007 budget for the space agency. Congressmen grill Griffin and Dale about the budget's plans to cut funding for some science programs.
With the four test flights complete, NASA declared the space shuttle a fully operational program. The crews were expanded, commercial payloads were welcomed aboard and the mission plans became much more hectic. This new era began with Columbia's STS-5 flight that launched the ANIK-C3 and SBS-C commercial communications satellites from the shuttle's payload bay. Commander Vance Brand, pilot Bob Overmyer and mission specialists Joe Allen and Bill Lenoir narrate highlights from their November 1982 mission in this post-flight presentation.
The developmental test flights of the space shuttle concluded with Columbia's STS-4 mission. Commander Ken Mattingly and pilot Henry Hartsfield spent a week in space examining orbiter systems and running science experiments. The 1982 flight ended on the Fourth of July with President Reagan at the landing site to witness Columbia's return and the new orbiter Challenger leaving for Kennedy Space Center. Watch this STS-4 post-flight crew presentation film.