BAE lands $151 million contract for missile-warning satellite ground system

WASHINGTON — BAE Systems has secured a $151 million contract to develop a next-generation ground system for U.S. Space Force missile-warning satellites.The Space Force’s Space Systems Command announced March 3 that BAE Systems will lead the second phase of the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) command and control (C2) ground system program, known as FORGE C2. This initiative aims to modernize the ground infrastructure that controls and tracks spacecraft from the military’s constellation of missile-warning satellites in both geostationary and polar orbits.The contract award follows a four-way competition that began in November 2023, when the Space Systems Command awarded $9.7 million contracts to four companies — Ball Aerospace (which was later acquired by BAE Systems), Parsons, General Dynamics, and Omni Federal — to develop competing FORGE C2 designs.“As we continue to enhance the FORGE ground system, it’s critical that we innovate rapidly with new technological capabilities,” said Capt. Santiago Duque, FORGE C2 chief program manager, in a statement accompanying the announcement.Under this second phase, BAE Systems will build a prototype system designed for the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) constellation, which has yet to be launched. Simultaneously, the company will support the FORCE C2 for legacy space systems, including the currently operational Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS).The FORGE program, which began in 2019, represents a shift in how the Space Force manages its satellite control infrastructure. The initiative aims to create an open architecture for missile-warning ground systems, replacing the current proprietary ground stations developed by Lockheed Martin, which serves as the prime contractor for both the SBIRS and the geostationary Next-Gen OPIR satellite programs. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the polar Next-Gen OPIR system. According to the Space Systems Command, the FORGE C2 prototype will establish the foundation for a government-owned, cyber-secure modular open systems approach for missile warning satellite command and control.