[Satellite TODAY 11-21-11] Boeing shipped its fourth Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., to undergo final preparations for its scheduled January launch, the company announced Nov. 18.

   WGS-4 is the first of the WGS Block 2 satellites and will join three other spacecraft already on orbit and carrying the bulk of satellite communications traffic for the armed forces and other government agencies.

   The WGS Block 2 series aims to add performance upgrades to the Pentagon network, such as a switchable radio frequency bypass for the transmission of airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance imagery at higher data rates.

   “New airborne surveillance platforms are driving a need for higher data rates, and the upgrades on WGS-4 are designed specifically to meet these emerging requirements,” Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems Vice President and General Manager Craig Cooning said in a statement.