Will more nations be jumping on the WGS bandwagon?

The United States is open to more nations signing up to support its Wideband Global Satcom program, and if additional countries express an interest, the U.S. will consider building more than the 10 WGS satellites already scheduled, a senior U.S. Air Force official said, reports Aviation Week.

Three WGS satellites are currently on station and the other seven are scheduled to be launched into orbit between 2013 and 2018, the story said.

“Ten satellites is the official program level,” David Steare, lead at the U.S. Air Force’s milsatcom international engagement, space and cyberspace division, told delegates at the recent MilSatCom Asia conference in Singapore, according to the story.

Those nations that will help the United States fund future WGS efforts are Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the story said. Should other allies express an interest in joining the WGS program, then the United States would consider an 11th WGS satellite, Steare said.