The US Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force have signed an agreement to partner on the Wideband Global SATCOM system. SSgt. J.G. Buzanowski reports that the arrangement means USAF can expand the WGS constellation to six satellites, instead of the five that had been planned. Air Force Space Command launched the first WGS last month and expects to reach initial operational capability in January. Launch of a sixth satellite would come in 2013.
After months of debate and sometimes public tension, the Space Force and Intelligence Community are making progress on establishing ways to work together, officials said this week—to the point where one predicted there will soon be “a sharing of data like we've never seen before.”