[Satellite Today 08-05-08] Boeing has completed a $10 million, 20,500-square-foot satellite mission control center in El Segundo, Calif, that can manage up to four satellites at the same time, the company announced Aug. 4.
    The new facility replaces another Boeing facility in El Segundo that was smaller and had limited capacity.
    "The [mission control center] is an integral part of our customer service and support operations," Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Space and Intelligence Systems, a division of Boeing Network and Space Systems, said in a statement. "Our satellite mission experts at the center monitor the health of a spacecraft from the time it is mated to the launch vehicle through in-orbit testing.”
    The U.S. Air Force is expected to be the first customer of the new center and will use it to manage an element of the military's Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) mission. Boeing is manufacturing satellites for the WGS mission, GPS and the Space-Based Space Surveillance system.
    Separately, Boeing has been awarded a $153.5 million U.S. Naval Research Laboratory contract to demonstrate High Integrity GPS technology concepts, the company announced Aug. 5.
    The effort combines satellite signals from Iridium and GPS satellites to enhance navigation availability, integrity, accuracy and jam-resistant capabilities for warfighters. The contract is expected to run through 2010.