The program, known as Next-Gen OPIR GEO, or NGG, is designed to provide enhanced missile warning and tracking capability against an expanding range of space-based threats. Both sensor payloads have now been handed over, with the first satellite already complete and ready to support initial launch operations.
Raytheon's sensor payloads employ advanced optical designs and algorithms to detect the heat signatures of missile launches, including those from hypersonic weapon systems and other advanced threats. The sensors are designed to deliver improved sensitivity and tracking performance compared to legacy infrared warning systems, forming part of a broader advanced missile warning architecture.
"Demand for resilient missile warning and tracking across all orbital regimes continues to accelerate," said Jeff McCall, vice president for Mission Solutions and Payloads at Raytheon. "Programs like NGG demonstrate how high-altitude, long-duration observation sensing unlocks new mission coverage in key areas."
The NGG satellites, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, will provide continuous surveillance over mid-latitudes from geosynchronous orbit. That coverage is intended to complement the existing missile warning satellite constellation as well as new tracking assets being fielded in Low Earth Orbit and Medium Earth Orbit, extending the overall architecture's ability to maintain persistent watch across multiple orbital layers.
Raytheon's role in the program focused on the design, development, and production of the sensor payloads for both satellites. The pairing of Raytheon's sensor technology with Lockheed Martin's satellite bus represents a continuation of the contractor teaming arrangement that has underpinned U.S. overhead persistent infrared programs for decades.
The NGG Block 0 program is a successor to the Space Based Infrared System, or SBIRS, which has served as the backbone of U.S. missile warning from geosynchronous orbit since the early 2000s. The new generation of satellites is intended to improve survivability, sensitivity, and responsiveness in an environment where adversaries have developed increasingly sophisticated missiles and counter-space capabilities.
Related Links
Raytheon
Military Space News at SpaceWar.com
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
