Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next Gen OPIR) is the U.S. Space Force missile-warning satellite family intended to succeed SBIRS inside a wider multi-orbit warning and tracking architecture. Lockheed Martin leads the GEO component on an LM 2100 Combat bus, Northrop Grumman leads the Polar component, and 2026 budget reporting shows the Polar leg under congressional review as LEO and MEO warning layers expand.
Next Gen OPIR is split between geosynchronous and polar-orbiting missile-warning spacecraft, with proliferated LEO and MEO layers increasingly shaping the surrounding architecture.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Next-Gen OPIR GEO (NGG) | Geosynchronous missile-warning satellite | Lockheed Martin's GEO satellite uses an LM 2100 Combat bus and the first space vehicle completed thermal-vacuum and acoustic environmental testing before final systems integration. Sources: First Next-Gen GEO-Based Missile Warning Satellite Successfully Completes Environmental Testing, On Track for Delivery to Space Force, Space Based Missile Warning, Tracking & Defense |
| Next-Gen OPIR Polar (NGP) | Highly elliptical polar missile-warning satellite | Northrop Grumman identifies NGP as the polar-orbiting leg, with a mission payload sensor subassembly advanced in 2026 while the FY2027 budget process questioned continued procurement. Sources: Next Gen OPIR Polar (NGP) | Northrop Grumman, Northrop Grumman Boosts Missile Warning with Next Gen Polar Infrared Sensor Delivery, Air & Space Forces Space Force Proposes Canceling Polar Missile Warning Program |
Next Gen OPIR is documented as part of a wider U.S. space-based missile-warning and tracking architecture rather than a stand-alone combat weapon.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Predecessor missile-warning constellation | Space Systems Command and Lockheed Martin describe Next Gen OPIR as the follow-on architecture that will eventually succeed SBIRS for persistent missile warning. Sources: United States Space Force Next Gen OPIR GEO Program completes Block 0 GEO Space Vehicle Critical Design Review, First Next-Gen GEO-Based Missile Warning Satellite Successfully Completes Environmental Testing, On Track for Delivery to Space Force |
 | Proliferated LEO warning and tracking layer | GAO describes the SDA Tracking Layer as a low-Earth-orbit missile warning and tracking capability that will complement Next Gen OPIR satellites. Sources: GAO Missile Warning Satellites 2026 |
Next Gen OPIR sits between the legacy SBIRS warning constellation and newer proliferated warning layers such as the Transport and Tracking Layer. Public reporting in 2026 shows a program in transition: the first GEO vehicle has moved through environmental testing, while the Polar leg remains part of an active budget debate.
| Element | Primary contractor | Public status |
|---|---|---|
| Next-Gen OPIR GEO | Lockheed Martin | First GEO satellite completed thermal-vacuum and acoustic testing before final systems integration; current reporting describes a two-satellite GEO effort. |
| Next-Gen OPIR Polar | Northrop Grumman | Northrop Grumman advanced the polar mission payload sensor in 2026, but the Space Force FY2027 request proposed ending the Polar program and several congressional committees pushed back. |
| LEO and MEO warning layers | Multiple contractors | GAO and 2026 budget reporting describe proliferated LEO and MEO warning/tracking layers as complementary or alternative coverage for future missile-warning architecture. |
Space Systems Command said the Next Gen OPIR GEO program passed its Block 0 geosynchronous space vehicle critical design review and stayed on schedule for a 2025 first launch.
Sources: United States Space Force Next Gen OPIR GEO Program completes Block 0 GEO Space Vehicle Critical Design Review
SSC completed the Block 0 GEO system critical design review, confirming the space and ground design maturity for the program's launch planning.
Sources: SSC Next-Gen OPIR Block 0 GEO Program completes System CDR
Lockheed Martin reported that the first Next-Gen OPIR GEO satellite finished thermal vacuum and acoustic testing and moved into final systems integration testing.
Sources: First Next-Gen GEO-Based Missile Warning Satellite Successfully Completes Environmental Testing, On Track for Delivery to Space Force
GAO described the Space Development Agency Tracking Layer as a low-Earth-orbit missile warning and tracking effort intended to complement Next Gen OPIR satellites.
Sources: GAO Missile Warning Satellites 2026
Air & Space Forces reported that the Space Force's FY2027 budget proposal sought to terminate the Polar program and rely on proliferated LEO and MEO warning layers for polar coverage.
Sources: Air & Space Forces Space Force Proposes Canceling Polar Missile Warning Program
Northrop Grumman said the Next Gen OPIR Polar program remained on track as it advanced the mission payload sensor subassembly for the polar orbit satellites.
Sources: Northrop Grumman Boosts Missile Warning with Next Gen Polar Infrared Sensor Delivery
Air & Space Forces reported that multiple congressional defense committees backed continued Next Gen OPIR Polar funding or restrictions on canceling the polar-coverage effort.
Sources: Air & Space Forces Lawmakers Push for More New Sensors
