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To give military commanders that early warning ability, Lockheed Martin turned to Raytheon as one of two contractors\u00a0selected to\u00a0design the payload for its Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared, or Next Gen OPIR, Block 0 resilient missile warning satellite.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWhen the stakes are this high, there\u2019s no room for error,\u201d said Roy Azevedo, president, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. \u201cThis is an urgent program, so going fast and getting it right the first time are critically important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next Gen OPIR Block 0 will succeed the Space Based Infrared System satellites, or SBIRS,\u00a0by providing\u00a0improved, more resilient missile warning. The U.S.\u00a0Air Force implemented Next Gen OPIR Block 0 as a \u201cGo Fast\u201d acquisition\u00a0program with Lockheed Martin.<\/span><\/p>\n The first geostationary orbiting satellite is targeted for delivery in just 60 months. Raytheon\u2019s contract covers development through system critical design review in November 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have 17 sensors in design and production, some of which are the same magnitude as Next Gen OPIR and were delivered on even shorter schedules,\u201d said Wallis Laughrey, vice president at\u00a0Raytheon Space Systems. \u201cThat gives us a great deal of confidence\u00a0in our proposed solution.\u00a0The fact is, we have a 50-year track record of putting sensors in orbit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Raytheon produced\u00a0a wide range of advanced payloads that are currently in orbit, varying in size and scope. Among them is the Infrared Imaging Space Experiment\u00a0for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, launched earlier this year. IRISX was delivered in just 29 months.<\/p>\n And the Advanced Responsive, Tactically Effective Military Imaging Sensor, a hyperspectral sensing system for AFRL\u2019s TacSat-3, was designed and delivered in under 15 months. It was launched in May 2009;\u00a0the U.S. Air Force Space Command took control of the satellite in June 2010.<\/p>\n Because it was designed with open system architecture, performance upgrades for Raytheon\u2019s Next Gen OPIR Block 0 payload can be rapid and affordable. It\u2019s also suitable for polar orbit,\u00a0with minimal modification.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a fairly common misconception that fast innovation is exclusive to the commercial industry,\u201d said Laughrey. \u201cBut it\u2019s our history in space that enables us to respond quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n