Next Gen OPIR GEO (Lockheed Martin)
The United States is advancing next-generation overhead persistent infrared capabilities to strengthen space-based missile warning and tracking for the Joint Force. Next Gen OPIR GEO is designed to deliver timely warning and tracking data on evolving missile threats, helping support force protection, informed decisions and life-saving operations. Building on the heritage of the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), the program aims to enhance sensing, tracking, resilience and data processing in support of unified combat operations.
Missile threats have grown faster, more complex and more maneuverable over the past decade. As those threats proliferate, the military needs resilient systems capable of delivering timely missile warning and tracking information. Next Gen OPIR GEO is intended to build on existing space-based capabilities while addressing those changing demands.
Lockheed Martin is developing the system with the U.S. Space Force, subcontractors and supply-chain partners. The program brings together scientific, engineering, systems-integration and program-management expertise to address both current and future missile warning and tracking requirements.
A Bridge from Today to Tomorrow
Lockheed Martin is developing Next Gen OPIR GEO on the foundation established by SBIRS, with the goal of advancing space-based missile warning and tracking. The system is designed to improve the detection, tracking and characterization of increasingly complex threats, including targets with difficult signatures, high speeds and maneuvering flight paths.
“For more than a decade, SBIRS has provided reliable space-based early missile warning capability,” said Jim Sprunck, OPIR portfolio director at Lockheed Martin. “Next Gen OPIR GEO builds on that strong foundation and introduces enhanced capabilities intended to support advanced missile warning and tracking for our nation.”
Hypersonic glide vehicles travel at high speeds and can maneuver during flight, making them more difficult to detect and track. Designed to operate in geosynchronous orbit, Next Gen OPIR GEO is intended to provide persistent missile warning and tracking coverage, supporting timely awareness and decision-making.
More capable tracking depends on advanced sensors with greater sensitivity and persistent coverage to help identify and follow challenging targets. Mission testing has demonstrated significant improvements over SBIRS in approved performance areas.
A Resilient Next-Generation Architecture
Next Gen OPIR GEO is being developed with modern infrared payloads designed to improve launch detection and the tracking of dim or maneuvering targets. The system also includes resilience features intended to help maintain mission continuity in contested space environments.
EXPLORE MORE: Biden scolds the Supreme Court to their faces for overturning Roe – NewsFinale
Its space segment is being integrated with a next-generation ground architecture designed to handle larger volumes of sensor data and deliver information rapidly to support warfighter decisions.
“Our engineers have built advanced analysis and modeling tools that simulate every phase of the mission, from launch through on-orbit detection,” Sprunck said. “We are leveraging decades of SBIRS experience and representative mission scenarios to guide development and integration. This work provides confidence that Next Gen OPIR GEO is positioned to meet and exceed established performance requirements, supporting enhanced missile warning and tracking operations.”
Built on Lockheed Martin’s LM 2100 Combat Bus™, Next Gen OPIR GEO is designed to feature cyber-resilient systems, stronger communications, enhanced spacecraft power, improved propulsion and upgraded electronic subsystems. Onboard data processing is intended to help preserve mission continuity if communications are disrupted.
Lockheed Martin engineers and technical personnel are supporting the Next Gen OPIR GEO program from its early design stages through the manufacturing and testing of the mission-ready satellite.
The team is applying next-generation digital engineering methods to develop and integrate the U.S. Space Force’s future missile warning and tracking capability. Engineers have created improvements to the payload, ground systems and spacecraft, then evaluated those designs through early development demonstrations and space-to-ground integration tests using digital simulations under representative mission conditions.
“We’ve built a collaborative environment that extends far beyond Lockheed Martin’s walls,” said Theresa Ito, Next Generation OPIR GEO principal systems engineer. “We are bringing together technical expertise from across the program, the U.S. Space Force, subcontractors and supply-chain partners to address complex development and integration challenges.”
Developing the Workforce Behind Next Gen OPIR GEO
Next Gen OPIR GEO is more than a hardware update. The program combines the experience of SBIRS personnel with the perspective of a new generation of engineers working to develop advanced missile warning and tracking capabilities for combined forces.
“Many members of the team bring years of SBIRS experience, but since Next Gen OPIR GEO began, we’ve welcomed new engineers with fresh perspectives,” Ito said. “Their technical expertise and commitment complement the experience of the broader team and support the program’s mission.”
SBIRS will continue providing established early missile warning capability against traditional ballistic-missile threats. Next Gen OPIR GEO is designed to build on that foundation and help create the next era of space-based missile warning and tracking.