The Space and Missile Systems Center’s Enhanced Polar System Recapitalization (EPS-R) program reached a major program milestone completing a successful delta Critical Design Review (dCDR) of the EPS-R Control and Planning Segment (CAPS). The review was held June 24-25.
The dCDR was the culmination of more than three months of critical baseline review by the government and contractor teams assessing and evaluating the maturity of the CAPS design. This assessment included areas of risk, software and hardware requirement traceability, testing, performance, cost and schedule. The dCDR was completed successfully with no significant issues or liens. The program will now move into the integration and test phase of the acquisition development cycle before eventually providing command and control for all four of the EPS/EPS-R payloads.
Northrop Grumman is the EPS-R CAPS developer and was awarded an $87 million contract in May 2019. The EPS-R program office awarded the EPS-R CAPS contract less than 40 days after receiving a proposal. Additionally, EPS-R CAPS has implemented an agile software development approach, which has significantly decreased software build time while increasing software quality and simultaneously increasing collaboration, transparency, and integration across the program.
These efforts enabled the program office to leverage the hosted payload opportunity with Norway and placed it on track to deliver capabilities three years ahead of schedule with potential savings of up to $900 million. SMC’s Production Corps EPS-R program demonstrates the Secretary of Defense’s second line of effort to strengthen alliances and partnerships while consistently demonstrating EPIC Speed and innovation.
“The EPS-R program’s unprecedented approach provides an advantage to warfighters in the increasingly contested Arctic region. EPS-R leverages the best practices of our industry partners, in concert with commercial space and launch vehicle providers while collaborating with our Norwegian partners. The EPS-R CAPS system will command the EPS/EPS-R constellation allowing US Space Force space operators to provide continuous communication services to Arctic users,” said Maj. Craig Zinck, EPS-R Ground program manager.
As an EPS follow-on, EPS-R will include two eXtended Data Rate (XDR) payloads that will provide protected satellite communications coverage in the North Polar Region until the Protected Tactical SATCOM and Evolved Strategic SATCOM polar variants are available.
The US Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, is the Center of Excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. Its portfolio includes the Global Positioning System, military satellite communications, defense meteorological satellites, space launch, range systems, satellite control networks, space-based infrared systems and space situational awareness capabilities.
