C4ISRNET:

The U.S. Space Force picked two companies to design digital models of infrared sensors for the service’s next constellation of missile warning satellites, the service announced May 27.

Raytheon Technologies and Millennium Space Systems secured contracts for the Missile Track Custody Prototype effort, which will evaluate whether sensors for the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellites can effectively detect and track ballistic missiles.

The Space Force is building Next-Gen OPIR to succeed the Space Based Infrared System as the nation’s premier missile warning satellite constellation, detecting and tracking ballistic missile threats all over the world 24/7. There will be five satellites in the initial constellation: Three in geosynchronous orbit with another two providing coverage of the Earth’s polar regions. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on the first three Next-Gen OPIR GEO satellites, awarded $2.9 billion in 2018 to design them and another $4.9 billion in 2021 to build them. Northrop Grumman was awarded $2.4 billion in 2020 to begin design work on the polar satellites…



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