Air Force launches military satellite into space

January 20, 2012

(AP) -- The Air Force has sent into space a satellite that is expected to improve communications with military drones in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Officials say a Delta 4 rocket carried the WGS 4 satellite from at 7:38 p.m. Thursday.

It's the fourth in a series of that have been put into place since 2007. The next one is expected to be ready to launch next year.

WGS stands for Wideband Global SATCOM. The satellites are replacing aging Defense Satellite Communications System spacecraft and have 10 times the speed and capacity of the older satellites.

©2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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cloroxcomet
Jan 20, 2012

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Fascinating article.
Deathclock
Jan 20, 2012

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I am stunned by the wealth of information presented here.
Argiod
Jan 20, 2012

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Just what we need; more junk flying overhead. And people wonder why there are so many more paranoids in the world today...
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