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 intended to deliver timely information on emerging missile threats, helping protect forces, support informed decisions and save lives. Building on the legacy of the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), the program is designed to enhance sensing, tracking, resilience and data processing for unified combat operations.
Missile threats have grown faster, more complex and more maneuverable over the past decade. As those threats spread, the military needs resilient systems capable of providing timely missile warning and tracking. Next Gen OPIR GEO builds on existing space-based capabilities to meet those changing demands.
Lockheed Martin is developing the system with the U.S. Space Force, subcontractors and supply-chain partners. The effort brings together expertise in science, engineering, systems integration and program management to address both current and future missile warning requirements.
A Bridge from Today to Tomorrow
Lockheed Martin is developing Next Gen OPIR GEO as an evolution of the SBIRS foundation, with the goal of advancing space-based missile warning and tracking. The system is designed to improve the detection, tracking and characterization of increasingly sophisticated threats, including missiles with difficult infrared 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 can travel at extreme speeds while maneuvering in flight, making them especially 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 faster awareness and decision-making.
More effective tracking depends on highly sensitive sensors and persistent coverage that can 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.
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Its space-based components will connect with a next-generation ground architecture designed to process greater volumes of sensor data and deliver timely information to warfighters and decision-makers.
“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 drawing on decades of SBIRS experience and representative mission scenarios to guide development and integration. This work gives us confidence that Next Gen OPIR GEO is positioned to meet and exceed established performance requirements while 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 sustain mission operations during communication disruptions.
Lockheed Martin engineers and technical specialists are supporting the Next Gen OPIR GEO program through every stage, from preliminary design to the manufacturing and testing of the mission-ready satellite.
The team is using next-generation digital engineering methods to develop and integrate the U.S. Space Force’s future missile warning and tracking capability. Engineers have designed improvements to the payload, ground systems and spacecraft, then evaluated those concepts through early development demonstrations and space-to-ground integration tests. Digital simulations were conducted 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 represents more than a hardware upgrade. The program combines the experience of SBIRS personnel with the skills 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 broader team’s experience and support the program’s mission.”
SBIRS will continue providing established early missile warning for traditional ballistic-missile threats. Next Gen OPIR GEO is designed to build on that foundation and serve as a bridge to the future of space-based missile warning and tracking.
