On Tuesday, it was reported Northrop Grunman received a $2.37 billion contract to develop two of the future Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) satellites. The Next-Gen OPIR constellation will have five total satellites in geosynchronous and polar orbits to provide initial warning of ballistic missile launches. The U.S. Space expects to start launching geosynchronous satellites in 2025 and polar satellites in 2027, and the remaining deployed by 2029.
On Wednesday, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Dr. Michael Griffin, said at a virtual event the DOD is “not investing in airborne platforms for shooting down adversary missiles,” with directed energy. Dr. Griffin said instead satellite-mounted lasers could eventually prove useful for missile defense, but the support requirements were too significant for systems affixed on aircraft within the atmosphere.
Also on Wednesday, it was reported space stakeholders in the DOD are moving forward with a new plan for missile defense, warning, and tracking after the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) approved the bulk of the blueprint several weeks ago. General Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations for the Space Force, suggested the new approach will be better coordinated and cheaper than the current architecture.
On Sunday, it was reported Kim Jong-un held a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Ruling Worker’s Party to discuss new policies to increase nuclear war deterrence of the country. This included putting North Korea’s ‘strategic armed forces on high alert operation’ and measures to ‘considerably increase the firepower strike ability of artillery pieces.’
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