WGS Space Systems Resiliency Upgrade

Abstract

The Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) System provides the Department of Defense (DoD) with high data rate military satellite communication (MILSATCOM) services in accordance with the Joint Space Management Board-approved MILSATCOM architecture (August 1996), the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC)-approved MILSATCOM Capstone Requirements Document (October 1997), and JROC-approved WGS Operational Requirements Document (May 2000). Dual-frequency WGS satellites augment, then replace the DoD's Defense Satellite Communications System X-band service and augment one-way Global Broadcast Service Ka-band capabilities. In addition, WGS provides a high capacity two- way Ka-band Service. This program was originally conceived to augment the near-term "bandwidth gap" in warfighter communications needs but it remains to be the DoD's primary wideband system. WGS has 10 operational legacy satellites and WGS-11 and WGS-12 (WGS-11 & 12) are in development as the first modern digital payloads using commercial technologies providing more coverage beams than their existing WGS predecessors combined and delivering twice the operational capacity than previous WGS analog satellites. Funding for this effort supports the advanced capabilities for WGS-11 & 12 under development for launch in FY 2025 and FY 2027, respectively. Project 657107, WGS Space Systems Resiliency Upgrade, is for WGS Beam Optimization & Operational Management (WGS-BOOM) enhancements to maximize efficiency/warfighter use of the additional number of beams provided by WGS-11 & 12 by improving the functionality of the legacy WGS ground systems to rapidly change the planned coverage scheme. The 10 operational legacy WGS satellites on-orbit were each developed by building on heritage WGS capabilities. Continually improving WGS capability and leveraging advances in Boeing commercial technology, in FY 2018 the DoD has procured a more advanced single WGS-11 satellite (previously referenced as WGS-11+ to designate meeting the Congressional intent of two satellites, herein referenced as WGS-11 with the new Congressional add of WGS-12) enhancing support to the US military, DoD, and allied nations with more flexibility and mission capability to support dispersed users than previous WGS spacecraft. The new capabilities allow operators to create unique coverage anywhere within the satellite's field of view and custom designed for the mission at hand. In FY 2023, the DoD will procure a WGS-12, an expected clone of the WGS-11 spacecraft with the Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS) as a hosted payload, is a planned addition to the WGS Block II Follow On (B2FO) contract and would be supported by current work on WGS-BOOM enhancements. The advanced beam management capabilities of WGS-11 & 12 payloads under development to produce more coverage beams (over 1500) than the entire existing WGS constellation and deliver twice the mission capability than WGS-10 can operationally increase the availability of military-grade communications. The objective of the WGS-BOOM effort is for the development, integration, and test of advanced beam management to enhance WGS-11 & 12 baseline beam management tools in support of rapid planning and control. This effort will develop and deploy capabilities across the WGS enterprise to provide WGS-11 & 12 management and control (M&C) ground enhancements with responsive end-to-end mission planning, protection, and terminal synchronized capabilities. WGS BOOM development includes upgrades to the WGS-11 & 12 payload control system, Global SATCOM Configuration Control Element (GSCCE), to decrease operational timelines to be able to better track and support airborne ISR missions as they move through the theater. Additionally, a Power Control Management Subsystem (PCMS) will be developed to provide superior situational awareness of user resource usage as well as automated configuration capability to restore users. Finally, a classified version of the WGS planning system, Common Network Planning Software (CNPS), will be developed to act as an automated source of truth for classified missions, which would reduce resource planning timelines. Funding the engineering and development for enhanced element M&C will provide greater routing complexity and mission planning flexibility to support 80 times more X and Ka-band spot beams on WGS-11 & 12 than on WGS 1-10 spacecraft. This funding will be used to develop and integrate WGS-11 & 12 advanced beam management capabilities & power control capabilities facilitating contested and mobile operations on tactically relevant timescales. Updated WGS-11 & 12 M&C interfaces will improve planning data responsiveness through access to automated equipment configuration registries and enable WGS-11/12 integration into the broader DoD SATCOM Enterprise. External WGS-11 & 12 interfaces may be leveraged to support planning, situational awareness, power control, and real time equipment orchestration. WGS Block I consists of satellites 1-3, Block II consists of satellites 4-6 and B2FO currently includes satellites 7-10 and plans to add WGS 11 & 12 in FY 2023. WGS satellites 1-10 have been funded, procured and launched in previous budget cycles. With the operation of WGS-5, the constellation provided global coverage and Full Operational Capability (FOC) was declared on 12 May 2014. In the Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY 2018, Congress added 600M Space Force Procurement in FY 2018 for "full funding for WGS-11 and WGS-12." A sole source Request for Proposal was released to Boeing in June 2018. A final decision was made to procure a single satellite (once designated as WGS-11+ but will herein forward be referenced as WGS-11) with twice the operational capacity of WGS-10 as the best approach to delivering the directed additional WGS capacity in a cost-effective manner. WGS-11 will host a PTS payload providing robust anti-jam capability to tactical warfighters, funded by the PTS program in PE 1206761SF. In the Consolidated Defense Appropriations Act, FY 2023, Congress added 442M Space Force Procurement in FY 2023 for "Protected Wideband Satellite" to procure a protected wideband satellite providing resilient, jam resistant tactical communications to support warfighter needs. The United States Space Force (USSF) has interpreted the Congressional add is intended to procure a WGS-12 satellite equipped with the tactical anti-jam capabilities delivered with WGS-11 with the PTS hosted payload. The funding is expected to cover costs for a WGS-12 spacecraft clone of the WGS-11 to include a PTS hosted payload. The current B2FO Acquisition Program Baseline (APB) allows for procurement of a WGS-12 and the acquisition is planned to be a Firm Fixed Price effort with integration of PTS in FY 2026 and launch in FY 2027. The Congressional add does not include funding for ground, launch and operation/maintenance activities. USSF is pursuing a mix of USSF and International Partner (IP) sources to cover additional funding required by FY 2025 for launch vehicle, ground and other Government costs. IPs receive constellation-wide WGS resources commensurate with their financial contributions to the WGS system. Investment from IPs to cooperatively enhance the system started in November 2007 through a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Australia to fund WGS space vehicle (SV)-6, launch and launch services. Five countries (Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Luxembourg, New Zealand) signed a new multilateral WGS MOU in CY 2012 and funded the procurement of WGS SV-9. In CY 2017, Amendment One to the WGS MOU leveraged additional funding for resiliency enhancements from two new IPs (Czech Republic and Norway). There is an International Agreement via the State Department regarding IP collaboration with WGS-11. In May 2022, nine countries signed Amendment Two to the multilateral MOU (adds Belgium and United Kingdom) to cover necessary ground upgrades and launch costs for WGS-11 was not covered by the FY 2018 Congressional add, and extends the duration of the WGS MOU, as amended, through September 2039. Space Systems Command (SSC) provides program management, integration, and engineering expertise through FY 2026. Discussions for potential future partnerships regarding the WGS program continue in support of National Space Policy and improved operational efficiency. Space acquisition must respond with speed and agility to pacing and emerging adversary threats. The SSC has transformed the organization and implementation of space acquisition to an enterprise approach, maximizing innovation and resiliency, leveraging international, commercial, and mission partnerships, and managing program/ project priorities according to an integrated unclassified/classified enterprise space architecture. Expanding the appropriate acquisition authorities and contract mechanisms to deliver capability sooner, SSC will strategically execute experimentation, prototyping, risk reduction, and other efforts to develop new or repurpose capabilities. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver WGS-11 & 12 for weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 1206392SF and 1206398SF. This program is in Budget Activity 5, System Development and Demonstration (SDD) because it has passed Milestone B approval and is conducting engineering and manufacturing development tasks aimed at meeting validated requirements prior to full rate production.

Document Details

• Document Type: Project
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2024
• Source ID: 657107_1206433SF_5_3620F_PB_2024

Tags

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.

Technology Areas

• Space
• Space - Satellites