The U.S. military has retired the Defense Support Program (DSP), the infrared satellite constellation that watched for missile launches for more than half a century. The retirement ends DSP—not the U.S. missile-warning mission: the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) is already deployed, and Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) is planned to succeed it.
What was retired in September 2026?
Ars Technica reported on October 2, 2026, that the final two surviving DSP satellites retired after an on-orbit maneuvering exercise in early September. The report identified them as “presumably DSP-20 and DSP-22.” It said independent orbital tracking showed both raising their orbits by a few hundred kilometers, a maneuver typically associated with moving satellites above geostationary orbit into graveyard orbits. Those satellite identities and maneuver details are reported by Ars Technica; they were not independently confirmed in the accessible official announcement.
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The Space Force confirmed the program’s official retirement, according to Ars Technica. Col. Brandon Davenport, commander of Mission Delta 4, called DSP “foundational to the defense of our nation.” He said the constellation helped ensure deterrence during the Cold War and protected deployed warfighters from the Gulf War until its retirement. Ars Technica described DSP satellites as having flown for more than 55 years.
What did the Defense Support Program do?
DSP used infrared sensors on geosynchronous satellites to detect the heat signature of missile launches. Its early purpose was to identify Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile launches; the system later also supported warning of conventional missile attacks, including Iraqi Scud launches. Its long service made DSP one part of the U.S. military’s space-based early-warning capability, rather than the whole missile-warning system.
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What replaces DSP?
The transition has been underway for years. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) says the Space Force began deploying SBIRS in 2011 and describes it as the replacement for the 1970s-era DSP satellites. SBIRS includes satellites and ground systems that detect and track adversary missile launches. Its sensors operate in geosynchronous and highly elliptical orbits.
Next-Gen OPIR is intended to eventually replace SBIRS. CRS describes a planned architecture of geosynchronous and polar-orbiting satellites supported by a ground system. Space Systems Command says the program is intended to replace the aging SBIRS constellation and improve resilience. That is the planned successor architecture, not evidence that every part of it is already operational.
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| System | Role and architecture | Place in the transition |
|---|---|---|
| Defense Support Program (DSP) | Infrared launch detection from legacy geosynchronous satellites. | Retired in September 2026, according to the reported event. |
| Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) | Detects and tracks adversary missile launches using satellites in geosynchronous and highly elliptical orbits, plus ground systems. | Deployment began in 2011; CRS identifies it as DSP’s replacement. |
| Next-Gen OPIR | Planned geosynchronous and polar-orbiting satellites with a ground system; intended to improve resilience. | Planned successor to SBIRS; CRS describes it as the next generation in the transition. |
Does DSP’s retirement mean the U.S. no longer has missile-warning satellites?
No. DSP’s retirement does not mean the United States has stopped monitoring for missile launches. SBIRS was already being deployed before DSP ended service, and CRS describes it as a system for detecting and tracking adversary launches. The warning picture also extends beyond any one satellite constellation: CRS discusses missile-warning radars and the integration of space- and ground-based warning information in the nuclear command, control, and communications context.
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SBIRS itself had a difficult development history. In a 2007 assessment, the Government Accountability Office said the Department of Defense had initiated the program in 1996 to replace the existing missile-detection system and add intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. At that time, GAO reported technical challenges, cost growth and schedule delays: the estimate had risen to more than $10.4 billion, with the first satellite launch then expected in 2008. GAO contrasted that estimate with an original plan to field the system by 2004 for about $4.2 billion. Those figures are historical 2007 estimates and expectations, not current costs or a current schedule.
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The next transition is also a program rather than a single handoff. In testimony cited by CRS, then-Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration Frank Calvelli described Next-Gen OPIR as a “bridge” toward a more “proliferated and resilient” missile-warning and tracking architecture in low and medium Earth orbits. CRS’s January 2026 account is the more current high-level description of the planned system; a 2022 Space Systems Command article described an earlier design plan, not a current launch schedule.
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