The Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar, or OPIR NGP, program has cleared its space vehicle critical design review, an important milestone in the development of the space-based global missile warning capability.
The CDR indicates that standards have been met, allowing for the program to push through with the fabrication, assembly and testing of the NGP space vehicle, the Space Systems Command said Monday.
The NGP, intended as the successor to the Space Based Infrared Systems Highly Elliptical Orbit hosted program, “is a critical cornerstone of our nation’s deterrence strategy, providing a strategic missile warning capability with unrivaled performance and resilience against any adversary,” according to Capt. Christian Chavez, the space vehicle and resiliency lead within the SSC NGP program.
Chavez also described the NGP as “an unblinking eye that warns us of impending attacks against our homeland and our allies” and a critical system that helps the U.S. maintain a strategic advantage in space.