On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command awarded a $68,546,456 contract modification to Lockheed Martin Space to continue the development of the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) Geosynchronous (GEO) program.
This modification brings the total cumulative value of the contract to approximately $8.2 billion. The award utilizes Fiscal Year 2026 research, development, test, and evaluation funds, with $17,194,677 obligated at the time of the award.
Work on the contract modification will be centered at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Boulder, Colorado, which serves as the primary engineering hub for the satellite’s sensing and command-and-control architectures. Completion of this specific phase is expected by August 2028.
Strategic Context: Replacing the SBIRS Legacy
The Next-Gen OPIR program is the designated successor to the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), which has served as the cornerstone of American missile warning for decades. While SBIRS was designed for a relatively benign space environment, Next-Gen OPIR is engineered for contemporary security requirements, prioritizing survivability against reversible and irreversible counter-space threats.
Lockheed Martin is positioning this constellation as a critical component of a broader, multi-layered missile defense architecture. This system aims to integrate data from GEO, polar, and low-Earth orbit (LEO) sensors to track both traditional ballistic missiles and emerging hypersonic threats. In 2024, the legacy SBIRS system demonstrated the importance of this mission by providing early warning for hundreds of missile launches, a capability Next-Gen OPIR is designed to enhance.
Enhanced Sensor Capabilities and the LM 2100 Bus
The Next-Gen OPIR GEO satellites are built upon the LM 2100 combat bus, a modernized spacecraft platform that includes:
- Hardened Subsystems: Enhanced protection against electromagnetic interference and directed-energy weapons.
- Advanced IR Sensors: Payloads engineered to detect boost-phase signatures from missiles that burn faster and dimmer than older designs.
- Resilient On-Board Processing: Increased autonomy to maintain operations during communication jamming or ground station disruptions.
These features address requirements for strategic space assets to be hardened against interference and attack from adversary anti-satellite capabilities, such as jamming systems and co-orbital threats.
Rationale: Addressing the Hypersonic Gap
The shift toward Next-Gen OPIR is driven by the need to track maneuvering hypersonic glide vehicles that fly at lower altitudes and higher speeds than standard ICBMs. By placing more sensitive infrared sensors in GEO orbit, approximately 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface, the Space Force maintains a persistent, unblinking view of the planet’s mid-latitudes. This provides the National Command Authority with maximized warning time, a capability that underpins both missile defense operations and strategic nuclear deterrence.
“Next-Gen OPIR GEO will enhance America’s persistent, around the clock, global surveillance and detection of missile threats,” said Joe Rickers, Vice President of Transport, Tracking & Warning Programs at Lockheed Martin.
Launch Timeline and Deployment Schedule
The first Next-Gen OPIR GEO satellite has already successfully completed thermal vacuum and acoustic testing at Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale facility, proving its ability to withstand launch vibrations and the harsh environment of space. The satellite is currently in the final systems integration phase, which includes validating connections with various ground systems.
The current contract modification ensures that engineering support and ground integration efforts remain synchronized with the flight hardware delivery. The full Block 0 constellation will eventually consist of three GEO satellites and two polar-orbiting satellites, providing a seamless and resilient national missile warning architecture.
