Naomi Cooper
Boeing is employing 3D printing, rapid prototyping and other advanced techniques in the production of a new satellite for the military’s Wideband Global Satcom system that recently passed a critical design review performed by the U.S. Space Force.
WGS-11+ is based on Boeing’s 702X software-defined satellite payload and features more advanced anti-jamming and interference features than the previous versions of the WGS system, the company said Tuesday.
Boeing received a $605 million contract modification from the U.S. Air Force in 2019 to manufacture the 11th WGS communications satellite that is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
The latest satellite is expected to boost the capabilities of the WGS constellation to provide enhanced broadband connectivity for the U.S. government and its partners.
“We’re moving at record-breaking speed to deliver the unmatched resilience, efficiency, and throughput WGS-11+ offers our warfighters,” said Col. Matt Spencer, senior materiel leader of the Space Systems Command Geosynchronous Earth Orbit and Polar Division.
