Canada to Invest in WGS

Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay has announced Canada will join Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in investing in the United States Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) secure communications constellation.

“Satellites enable military to rapidly communicate with military personnel, with our allies around the globe. They also allow us to forecast weather, better protect civilian life through the targeted strikes, control uninhabited aerial vehicles and give real-time analysis of events as they are unfolding on the battlefield,” MacKay said.

Canada is dedicating $337 million toward the project, which will go toward procuring the ninth WGS satellite.

This article is part of Space Watch: February 2012 (Volume: 11, Issue: 2).