
Lockheed Martin [LMT] said that its first Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) Block 0 satellite has advanced to system level testing at the company's plant in Sunnyvale, Calif., in preparation for a planned launch next year. The satellite is to be the first of two Next-Gen OPIR GEO satellites for the U.S. Space Force. Space Force had planned on three such satellites, but the service's fiscal 2024 budget zeroed research and development funding for one…