Another tool for our troops around the world launched from the Space Coast Wednesday night.

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket lifted off with an Air Force satellite on board.

The Wideband Global SATCOM, also known as WGS-8, is the eighth in a series of 10 satellites made by Boeing for troops in war zones.

“Satellite communication is vitally important to our military because they operate in many regions of the world where there isn’t an infrastructure for communication,” said Rico Attanasio, Boeing director of military satellite communications. “So getting that radio signal over the hill to troops that are in need of intelligence or need of getting additional troops in there is very important, and satellites can provide that anywhere, any time, around the globe.”

This latest satellite has something called a digital channelizer. Think of it as a router in the sky, able to help connect troops to needed information.

LIVE CHAT: Delta IV rocket launch