Air Force signs off on Lockheed Martin’s new SBIRS ground system

The United States Air Force (USAF) recently signed off on the newly-upgraded Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) ground system from Lockheed Martin, which will enhance the constellation’s ability to deliver infrared data critical to early missile warning and defense.

The new SBIRS ground system will serve as the nerve center for the constellation, which will collect large amounts of data from satellite sensors and convert it into actionable reports for defense purposes. The Block 10 system includes upgrades such as faster collection times, improved threat detection and improved target tracking.

The agreement consolidates the USAF command and control of legacy Defense Support Program satellites, SBIRS geosynchronous Earth orbit satellites and highly-elliptical orbit payloads into the same ground system.

“While launching a satellite is a highly momentous event, the work continues 24/7 on the ground within command and data processing centers,” David Sheridan, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Overhead Persistent Infrared Systems mission area, said. “With the Block 10 upgrade, the mission-critical data supplied by SBIRS is now being managed from a single ground control station, which is not only cost-efficient, but also more effective in providing our Air Force operators with the ability to characterize threats and quickly provide that information to military commanders deployed around the globe.”

The new system will be located at the SBIRS Mission Control Station at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado. It will replace the old ground system segment, which was installed in 2001.