BAE Systems has delivered the sensor subassembly and sensor system controller components for the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar (NGP) program. The program will provide the U.S. Space Force with advanced missile warning, technical intelligence and battlespace characterization mission capabilities. This milestone delivery keeps the program on track for full assembly of the payload, known as Flight Unit 1, expected to launch in 2028. BAE Systems is building a second flight unit for the NGP mission, which is on schedule for delivery in support of an expected launch in 2030. The sensor subassembly built by BAE Systems is a significant component of the mission payload and provides the optics, pointing mechanism, controlling electronics and electrical bus interface to the spacecraft. The sensor system controller interfaces directly to the space vehicle to receive commands and provide telemetry data for the mission. It provides power control and conversion for sensor assembly components as well as high-accuracy mirror direction. The BAE Systems hardware originally was designed for use with the geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) element of the program. Featuring a highly adaptable design, the components were able to be repurposed for the NGP mission, allowing the program to meet challenging schedule needs.
“We met multiple challenges across a multiyear timeframe to successfully deliver our components for the next stage of full payload assembly,” said Thai Sheridan, vice president and general manager of Military Space for BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems. “This program will provide essential next-generation defense and intelligence capabilities for the Space Force.”
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational aerospace, arms and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe and the sixth largest in the world based on applicable 2024 revenues. Its largest operations are in the United Kingdom and in the United States, where its BAE Systems Inc. subsidiary is one of the six largest suppliers to the US Department of Defense. Its next biggest markets are Saudi Arabia, then Australia; other major markets include Canada, Japan,[10][11] India, Turkey, Qatar, Oman and Sweden. The company was formed on 30 November 1999 by the £7.7 billion purchase of and merger of Marconi Electronic Systems (MES), the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc (GEC), with British Aerospace, an aircraft, munitions and naval systems manufacturer.
