Next Generation OPIR
OEM: Lockheed Martin / Northrop Grumman
First Produced: 2025
Status: Active
Role: Next-generation missile warning and missile tracking satellites
Primary Operator: U.S. Space Force
OEM Website: lockheedmartin.com
Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared is the follow-on to SBIRS, architected to operate against a new generation of maneuvering hypersonic glide vehicles and depressed-trajectory missile threats that outrun legacy warning systems. Lockheed Martin is prime for three GEO satellites (NGG) while Northrop Grumman leads the two polar-orbit vehicles (NGP).
Next-Gen OPIR adds hardened communications, improved sensor sensitivity, and cyber-resilient ground systems under the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) program. First GEO launch is targeted for the mid-2020s, with the polar segment following. The program is a cornerstone of the Space Force's shift toward a more resilient, proliferated missile-warning architecture.
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