U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) recently awarded the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) Enterprise Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) Solution (EOS) contract to SciTec, Inc.—the $259 million award was made through a competitive Other Transaction Authority (OTA) prototype agreement leveraging the SSC Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC).
FORGE provides the cornerstone of a resilient OPIR ground architecture supporting legacy Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) and Next-Gen OPIR satellite payloads such as Next-Gen OPIR GEO (NGG), Polar (NGP), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations. It will also integrate capabilities from both FORGE and non-FORGE efforts, ensuring interoperability and mission flexibility across the missile warning and tracking enterprise. EOS builds upon the existing FORGE framework, which provides foundational hardware and software infrastructure, on which OPIR mission applications are built upon.
The EOS contract is the follow-on contract vehicle to continue the development and delivery of the FORGE framework, serving as the foundation for developing, managing, and hosting mission data processing applications. This cyber-resilient, modular, and scalable framework enables the ingestion of large volumes of data, efficient upgrades, and real-time wideband processing.
A framework is a software platform that provides a standard way to build, deploy, and interface with applications. The FORGE framework’s data-processing capability is crucial for orchestrating real-time data processing demands of Next-Gen OPIR satellites and future sensors to meet tomorrow’s threats.
The FORGE framework was initially developed under the SSC Mission Data Processing Application Framework (MDPAF) contract from 2020 to 2025. The EOS prototype represents the next phase for the FORGE ground system, enabling SSC to continue development and integration with emerging sensor technologies, adopting hybrid-cloud architectures, addressing technical debt, and building upon existing investments to meet growing threat timelines and mission needs.
This approach also reinforces FORGE’s acquisition strategy built on a foundation of modular and open systems architectures. Government ownership of the technical baseline and modular elements of the FORGE architecture provide the flexibility needed to access a continuous supply and a broad range of industry vendors. It also spurs competition resulting in best value for tax payers and greater innovations of critical capabilities for the nation.
In April of 2024, the FORGE program achieved a key milestone with the first operational delivery of the FORGE framework to the OPIR Battlespace Awareness Center (OBAC) at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado., enhancing operational resilience and application performance for the 11th Space Warning Squadron, Space Operations Command. This event also successfully demonstrated the ability to deliver iterative, regular and continuous warfighting capabilities into operations. The next delivery of FORGE capabilities to operators is scheduled for this summer.
EOS expands the aperture for industry innovation and will take the FORGE framework to the next level,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Groller, SSC FORGE materiel leader. “By delivering a scalable, cyber-secure, and modular ground processing capability designed to meet the demands of an evolving OPIR enterprise, we ensure our warfighters have faster, more reliable access to critical missile warning and tracking data for modern warfare.”
Space Systems Command is the U.S. Space Force field command responsible for acquiring, developing, and delivering resilient capabilities to protect our nation’s strategic advantage in, from, and to space. SSC manages a $15.6 billion space acquisition budget for the Department of Defense and works in partnership with joint forces, industry, government agencies, academic and allied organizations to outpace emerging threats. Our actions today are making the world a better space for tomorrow.