USA-243, also known as WGS-5, is a United States military

communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a Transponder (satellite communications), transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a Rad ...

. It was the fifth satellite to be launched as part of the

Wideband Global SATCOM The Wideband Global SATCOM system (WGS) is a high capacity United States Space Force satellite communications system planned for use in partnership by the United States Department of Defense (DoD), Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) ...

program and the second Block II satellite.

Overview

The WGS system is a system of military communications satellites that use cost-effective methods and technological advances in the communications satellite industry. The WGS system is composed of three principal segments: Space Segment (satellites), Control Segment (operators), and Terminal Segment (users). Each WGS satellite provides service in multiple frequency bands, with the ability to cross-band between the two frequencies on board the satellite. WGS augments other satellites. In early 2001, a satellite communications industry team led by

Boeing Satellite Systems The Boeing Satellite Development Center is a major business unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. It brought together Boeing satellite operations with that of GM Hughes Electronics' Space and Communications division in El Segundo, Califo ...

was selected to develop the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) system as a successor to the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) series of communications satellites. It is intended to support the U.S. Armed Forces with greater capabilities than those provided by other systems. In March 2007, the acronym WGS was changed to Wideband Global SATCOM. A major part of the U.S. military's global satellite communications, the Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite (WGS) system helps the U.S. Military through the operation of the control systems and provides long haul communications for the Department of Defense.

Satellite description

WGS-5 is based on the BSS-702HP

satellite bus A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held. Bus-derived satellites are less customized than specially-produced satelli ...

. It has a mass of and a design life of fourteen years. Its two

solar panels A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

generate upwards of 11 kW of power. The satellite is equipped with

X-band The X band is the designation for a band of frequency, frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is set at approximately 7.0� ...

and

Ka-band The Ka band (pronounced as either "kay-ay band" or "ka band") is a portion of the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The designation "Ka-band" is from Kurz-above, which stems from the German word ''kurz,'' meaning "short". There ...

transponders In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...

. A R-4D bi-propellant

rocket motor A rocket engine is a reaction engine, producing thrust in accordance with Newton's third law by ejecting reaction mass rearward, usually a high-speed jet of high-temperature gas produced by the combustion of rocket propellants stored inside t ...

and four

XIPS-25 The XIPS-25, or 25-cm Xenon Ion Propulsion System, is a gridded ion thruster manufactured by L-3 Communications. XIPS-25 engine is used on Boeing 702 Boeing 702 is a communication satellite bus family designed and manufactured by the Boeing Sat ...

ion engine An ion thruster, ion drive, or ion engine is a form of electric propulsion used for spacecraft propulsion. An ion thruster creates a cloud of positive ions from a neutral gas by ionizing it to extract some electrons from its atoms. The ions ...

s provide propulsion for maneuvering.

Launch

WGS-5 was launched by the

United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance, LLC (ULA) is an American launch service provider formed in December 2006 as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The company designs, assembles, sells and launches rockets ...

on a Delta IV M+ (5,4)

launch vehicle A launch vehicle is typically a rocket-powered vehicle designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space. The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage ...

, named Delta 362, from the Space Launch Complex (SLC-37B) at the

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the sta ...

(CCAFS) at 00:27

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

on 25 May 2013. The satellite was placed into a

supersynchronous transfer orbit A supersynchronous orbit is either an orbit with a period greater than that of a synchronous orbit, or just an orbit whose major axis is larger than that of a synchronous orbit. A synchronous orbit has a period equal to the rotational period of the ...

. From there, the satellite was maneuvered into

geostationary orbit A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular orbit, circular geosynchronous or ...

. A launch attempt 24 hours before was aborted due to a problem with a helium pressurization line. The launch was successful.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2013 Spacecraft launched in 2013 USA satellites Wideband Global SATCOM Communications satellites in geostationary orbit