RTX company Raytheon has delivered to Lockheed Martin the first of two Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Missile Warning Program satellite payloads meant for deployment to geosynchronous Earth orbit.
The payload—dubbed Next-Gen OPIR sensing in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit 1, or NGG-1—will now undergo integration with its satellite’s bus at Lockheed’s facility in Sunnyvale, California, where it will subsequently be subjected to further testing, Space Systems Command said Friday. The payload had previously undergone thermal vacuum chamber testing at Raytheon’s facility in El Segundo from late April through early August.
NGG-1 is on track for initial launch capability by December 2025. Once operational, it will provide strategic missile warning capabilities — including against hypersonic weapons — alongside OPIR sensors in a highly elliptical orbit.
Commenting on the effort, SSC NGG Program Mission Payloads section chief Capt. Christian Pung said, “Next-Gen OPIR capabilities will ensure we maintain an asymmetric advantage against adversarial threats.”
“Our advancements in early warning capabilities strengthen our ability to track incoming missiles and deter their potential effects throughout all phases of a conflict. I look forward to our team of military, civilian, Federally Funded Research and Development Center, and industry partners continuing to work together to keep ahead of threats and future conflicts in space,” Pung added.