The Air Force is looking into outsourcing the 24/7 on-orbit operations and maintenance of the Wideband Global SATCOM constellation, reported Space News. Air Force Space Command posted a request for information Sept. 9, seeking information from contractors about their ability to perform the operations, cost estimates, and possible operational timelines. The service aims to commercialize some satellite operations and move others to a new ground system, Space News reported. The WGS is the “backbone of the US military’s global satellite communications,” providing essential communication for combatant commanders and others in the military, the White House, the State Department, and international partners, according to an Air Force factsheet. The on-orbit WGS constellation has six satellites in geosynchronous orbit; the first was launched in October 2007. Right now, Boeing is the primary contractor for WGS.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.
