US AIR FORCE CONTRACT FOR NORTHROP GRUMMAN

The US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Centre has awarded a $47 million contract to Northrop Grumman in support of the Next Generation Overhead

Persistent Infrared (OPIR) Polar Space Vehicles 1 and 2. This contract supplements a similar contract to be awarded to Lockheed Martin that sees for the production of three geosynchronous orbit satellites. The five-satellite constellation known as the next-generation OPIR, will succeed the current Space Based Infrared System and will be more survivable against emerging threats. The US Air Force is targeting the first next-generation OPIR launch in 2023. Work is expected to be completed by June 25, 2020.