WGS 10 (USA 291)

Launch data:

Spacecraft data:

Mission details:

• The US Air Force communications satellite Wideband Global Satcom 10 was launched on Mar 16, 2019 by a Delta 4 Medium from Cape Canaveral into a supersynchronous transfer orbit. The Boeing-built spacecraft carries X- and Ka-band communications payloads and has both bipropellant and electric propulsion systems.
• The USAF Wideband Global Satcom 10 satellite, launched on Mar 16 to a mildly supersynchronous 462 x 44260 km x 27.0 deg transfer orbit, is using an unusual ascent path to GEO. By Mar 22 it was in a 13246 x 45069 km x 5.3 deg orbit.
  By Mar 26 its orbit was near-synchronous and equatorial but elliptical, 25876 x 45130 km x 0.2 deg. Since then it has slowly circularized and by May 30 its orbit was 34716 x 36850 km. This is in contrast to the usual practice of getting one end of the ellipse to the GEO height quickly and only then adjusting the other. The WGS 10 strategy may allow comms with a single ground station more quickly.

External links:

• Satellite tracking (n2ya.com): Real time satellite tracking