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27 Sep 2006

Aerospace

WGS passes tests

Boeing has completed Spacecraft Thermal Vacuum testing for the first of its Wideband Gapfiller Satellites (WGS). The tests evaluated the WGS operating systems' ability to withstand extreme temperatures.

has completed Spacecraft Thermal Vacuum (SCTV) testing for the first of its Wideband Gapfiller Satellites (WGS). The tests, conducted at the Boeing Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, California, evaluated the WGS operating systems' ability to withstand the extreme temperatures of space.

‘WGS has completed one of the most difficult and highest risk tests in the build process to evaluate its ability to withstand the extreme hot and cold temperatures of space,’ said US Air Force Lt. Col. David Lee, WGS Block I program manager. ‘The completion of these tests moves WGS closer to its scheduled 2007 launch date.’

Over a two-month period, Boeing completed the tests inside its largest thermal-vacuum chamber, which provided the best representation of the space environment by removing all air and eliminating the ability to dissipate heat through convection. WGS testers cycled between hot and cold temperature extremes to ensure that all subsystems perform properly throughout all mission phases.

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