Wideband Global SATCOM The Wideband Global SATCOM system ( WGS ) is a high capacity satellite communications system planned for use in partnership by the United States Department of Defense ( DoD ) and the Australian Department of Defence . The system is composed of the " Space Segment " satellites , the " Terminal Segment " users and the " Control Segment " operators . DoD wideband satellite communication services are currently provided by a combination of the existing Defense Satellite Communications System ( DSCS ) and Global Broadcast Service ( GBS ) satellites . According to United Launch Alliance , quoted on Spaceflight Now , " A single WGS spacecraft has as much bandwidth as the entire existing DSCS constellation . " Mission . The constellation of WGS satellites increases the communications capabilities of the militaries of the United States , Canada , and Australia by providing additional bandwidth and communications capabilities for tactical command and control , communications , and computers ; intelligence , surveillance , and reconnaissance ( C4ISR ) ; battle management ; and combat support information . Canada has also signed on to become a partner . WGS also augments the current Ka - band Global Broadcast Service ( on UHF F / O satellites ) by providing additional information broadcast capabilities as well as providing new two - way capability on that band . The combination of the Wideband Global Satellites , DSCS satellites , GBS payloads , wideband payload and platform control assets , and earth terminals operating with them has been referred to as the Interim Wideband System ( IWS ) . It provides services to the US Dod and Australian Department of Defence . The IWS System supports continuous 24 hour per day wideband satellite services to tactical users and some fixed infrastructure users . Limited protected services will be provided under conditions of stress to selected users employing terrestrial modems capable of providing protection against jamming . Capabilities . The WGS satellites will complement the DSCS III Service Life Enhancement Program ( SLEP ) and GBS payloads and will offset the eventual decline in DSCS III capability . WGS will offer 4 . 875 GHz of instantaneous switchable bandwidth , thus each WGS can supply more than 10 times the capacity of a DSCS III Service Life Enhancement Program ( SLEP ) satellite . Once the full constellation of 6 WGS satellites is operational , they will replace the DSCS system . WGS - 1 with its 2 . 4 Gbit / s wideband capacity , provided greater capability and bandwidth than all the DSCS satellites combined . Segments . Operation and usage of the system is broken into 3 segments . The end users of the communication services provided by the WGS are described by the DoD as the terminal segment . Users include the Australian Defence Force and U . S . Army ground mobile terminals , U . S . Navy ships and submarines , national command authorities for the nuclear forces , and various national security / allied national forces . Additionally , the Air Force Satellite Control Network will also use the WGS in a similar manner as the DSCS III constellation is used to route ATM packets through the DISA " cloud " to establish command and control streams with various satellite constellations . One of the emerging applications is SATCOM - ON - The - Move which is now being extensively used on the military tactical vehicles for Blue Force Tracking and C3 missions . The satellite operators in charge of commanding and monitoring the satellite ' s bus and payload systems as well as managing the network operating over the satellite are the control segment . Like the DSCS constellation that WGS will replace , spacecraft bus will be commanded by the 3rd Space Operations Squadron of Schriever AFB , Colorado . Payload commanding and network control will be handled by the Army 53rd Signal Battalion headquartered at nearby Peterson AFB , Colorado with subordinate elements A Co . at Fort Detrick , Maryland , B Co . at Fort Meade , Maryland , E Co . at Fort Buckner , Okinawa Japan , C Co . Landstuhl Germany , and , D Co . Wahiawa , Hawaii . The primary contractor for the satellites themselves is Boeing Satellite Development Center , which is building them around the Boeing 702 satellite platform . Originally five satellites were planned . On October 3 , 2007 , Australia ' s Department of Defence announced that the country would fund a sixth satellite in the constellation . Once in their orbits at an altitude of , each will weigh approximately . The program intends to use both the Delta IV and the Atlas V as launch vehicles . The Air Force Space Command estimates each satellite will cost approximately US $ 300 million . The first three WGS satellites form Block I of the space segment . WGS satellites 4 , 5 , and 6 make up Block II . Block I . The first launch ( WGS - 1 ) was conducted by United Launch Alliance ( ULA ) on 1 October 10 , 2007 . The satellite was carried by an Atlas V ( 421 ) lifting off from LC - 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station ( CCAFS ) . After launch , the WGS - 1 satellite was given the US military designation " USA - 195 " . Its coverage area stretches from the U . S . western coast to Southeast Asia . Launch of the second satellite ( WGS - 2 ) was also conducted by ULA , at 01 : 31 GMT on April 4 , 2009 , using an Atlas V 421 . A ULA Delta IV flying from LC - 37B at CCAFS launched the third spacecraft on 6 December 2009 . The WGS - 2 satellite was positioned over the equator around 60° East longitude ( over the Indian Ocean ) for use by U . S . Central Command in Afghanistan , Iraq and other parts of Southwest Asia . Originally , the second spacecraft was to fly on the Delta , and the third on the Atlas , but they were switched for an undisclosed reason . WGS - 3 was launched on December 6 , 2009 , covers the eastern Atlantic Ocean . The satellite was launched by a Delta IV " Medium + ( 5 , 4 ) " rocket ( originally Atlas V but switched with WGS - 2 ; see above ) . Block II . WGS - 4 , the first of the Block II , was launched by United Launch Alliance from SLC - 37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station by a Delta IV Medium + ( 5 , 4 ) on January 20 , 2012 , 00 : 38 AM GMT . WGS - 5 was successfully launched by a Delta IV rocket flying in the Medium + ( 5 , 4 ) configuration , with lift - off taking place from SLC - 37B in Florida at 20 : 27 local time on May 24 , 2013 . In May , 2013 , Boeing reported that the WGS - 6 satellite had been shipped to Florida , WGS - 6 was launched on a Delta IV rocket at 20 : 29 EDT ( 00 : 29 GMT ) on 7 August 2013 from Cape Canaveral Airforce Base . These satellites represent the Block II WGS satellites . On Aug . 23 , 2010 , Boeing was awarded an Air Force contract worth $ 182 million to begin work on the seventh WGS satellite . The new spacecraft is being procured under the WGS Block II follow - on contract . The contract will ultimately include options for production of up to six WGS satellites .