US awards $244M to Northrop for most advanced global missile tracking stations yet

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US awards $244M to Northrop for most advanced global missile tracking stations yet

The US Space Force (USSF) has awarded Northrop Grumman a $244 million contract to develop advanced relay ground stations in the United States and the United Kingdom.

These installations will support the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) program, a key element of America’s evolving missile warning and tracking infrastructure.

The new stations are expected to improve global coverage and resilience for satellites designed to detect missile launches and potential threats, while ensuring compatibility with legacy systems and newer constellations.

Scalable ground systems for evolving threats

Northrop Grumman will deploy a flexible, modular ground station design that builds upon the company’s experience with the Relay Ground Station-Asia (RGS-A), currently under development in Guam.

The new stations will provide adaptable infrastructure to accommodate changes in satellite bandwidth and operational demands.

“We are developing advanced relay ground stations that are scalable and upgradeable, and prioritize high performance, reliability and mission flexibility for the Next-Gen OPIR program,” said Calvin Pennamon, director of operational exploitation systems at Northrop Grumman, in an

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“Our ground systems will enhance communications between Space System Command’s legacy and future Space Based Infrared Systems, providing access to multiple constellations enabling warfighters to maintain a decisive edge against enemy threats.”

The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, acting on behalf of the Space Systems Command, selected Northrop Grumman for the multiple-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract.

Strengthening the FORGE modernization framework

The

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are a critical part of the USSF’s Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) system—an expansive effort to upgrade and integrate US missile warning capabilities.

FORGE aims to establish a government-owned ground network that links current and future missile detection satellites through modernized command and control operations.

Complementing Northrop’s contract, the Space Systems Command recently

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a $259 million award to SciTec, a New Jersey-based software developer, to further FORGE’s integrated enterprise buildout.

The company will develop a ground system supporting FORGE and non-FORGE assets, enhancing continuity across legacy SBIRS and Next-Gen OPIR data pipelines.

SciTec’s prior involvement includes a $272 million contract in 2022 for data processing tools, $45.8 million in 2023 for SBIRS sensor processing applications, and $5 million in 2021 for prototype development.

Much of SciTec’s specialized software is engineered at its Boulder, Colorado, facility.

S2E2 and ATLAS systems deepen space-based defenses

As part of the broader modernization push, the USSF also activated the Survivable Endurable Evolution (

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) ground system earlier this month.

Designed to replace the aging 1960s-era Mobile Ground System, S2E2 processes infrared data and integrates a nuclear detonation detection system.

Additionally, L3Harris secured a contract in March to upgrade the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System (ATLAS), which monitors anti-satellite activity and threats in orbit.

Global coverage through distributed relay networks

The new US- and ***-based stations complement the ongoing construction of RGS-A in Guam, reinforcing the USSF’s goal of achieving global, persistent missile warning capabilities.

These relay hubs allow early-warning signals from infrared

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to reach command networks and deployed forces more reliably.

Next-Gen OPIR remains a cornerstone of the US defense architecture, offering critical situational awareness and real-time missile launch detection to protect national and allied interests.

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