Boeing [NYSE: BA] won the National Space Club’s 2010 Nelson P. Jackson Award for fielding the first three Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft, the highest-capacity military communications satellites in the U.S. Department of Defense arsenal. Boeing representatives accepted the honor March 12th at the 53rd annual Goddard Memorial Dinner in Washington, D.C.

The National Space Club is a nonprofit organization that fosters excellence in space activities by promoting interaction between industry and government. The Nelson P. Jackson Award, named after the club’s founder, is presented for outstanding contributions in the fields of space, missiles or aircraft. Each WGS satellite has more than 10 times the capacity of a Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) III satellite, the system WGS will eventually replace. WGS-1 was launched in 2007; WGS-2 and WGS-3 were launched in 2009. The three spacecraft are exceeding all customer payload requirements as they provide high-performance broadband communications to U.S. warfighters and their allies in the major theaters of operation around the world. WGS satellites provide significantly greater throughput and flexibility over legacy and commercial systems, and include reconfigurable antenna spot beams that can bring broadband communications to remote regions. WGS-4, WGS-5 and WGS-6, planned for launch in calendar years 2011 and 2012, will include a radio frequency bypass enhancement that supports airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions requiring higher data rates. The Air Force recently requested a proposal from Boeing for options for six additional WGS satellites.