[Satellite TODAY 10-16-09] Boeing has shipped the third Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite to Cape Canaveral, Fla., where it will be tested and prepared for a November launch, the company announced Oct. 14.
    The spacecraft will undergo about six weeks of pre-launch testing and processing, including fueling, encapsulation inside the launch vehicle fairing, and integration with a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket.
    WGS-3, built for the U.S. Air Force to provide high-capacity X-band and Ka-band communications to U.S. forces and allies around the globe, completes the initial constellation of three WGS satellites.
    “We’re now working with the Air Force to determine how future WGS satellites could be enhanced to handle missions involving airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and communications-on-the-move,” Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, said in a statement.

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