Launch Photos: US Air Force's Wideband Global SATCOM 8 Blasts Off

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WGS-8 Satellite Mated to Delta IV Rocket

ULA

The U.S. Air Force's eighth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite, encapsulated in a 5-meter payload fairing, is mated to a Delta IV booster at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex (SLC)-37.

WGS-8 Satellite Mated to Rocket

ULA

The U.S. Air Force's WGS-8 satellite, encapsulated in a 5-meter payload fairing, is mated to a Delta IV booster at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex (SLC)-37 ahead of a Dec. 7, 2016 launch.

WGS-8 Mission Poster

ULA

United Launch Alliance's poster for the WGS-8 mission, which launched a military communications satellite on Dec. 7, 2016.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Spaceflight and Tech Editor

Michael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.