Delta-IV WGS-8 Rocket Launch Tonight, WATCH LIVE Starting at 6:33pm EST

U.S. Air Force WGS-7 launch atop a ULA Delta-IV. Photo Credit: Alan Walters / AmericaSpace
U.S. Air Force WGS-7 launch atop a ULA Delta-IV. Photo Credit: Alan Walters / AmericaSpace

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is poised to fly the eighth U.S. Air Force / Boeing Wideband Global Satcom satellite (WGS-8) to a 22,300-mile geosynchronous orbit tonight atop a Delta-IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:53 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-37, at the opening of a 49-minute launch window that closes at 7:42 pm EST.

Follow our WGS-8 Launch Tracker for updates & WATCH LIVE tonight beginning at 6:33 p.m. EST.

As detailed in our in-depth WGS-8 pre-launch report, the 13,000-pound spacecraft is the eighth of 10 high-capacity military communications satellites advancing what is already the most powerful military satcom constellation in the world. Each WGS satellite provides high capacity service in both the X and Ka frequency bands, with the unprecedented ability to cross-band between the two frequencies onboard the satellite.

Official launch weather forecast from the USAF 45th Space Wing Weather Squadron for this evening’s attempt gives an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions expected for liftoff, with the primary concern being thick cloud layers.

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