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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe U.S. Space Force has retired its Defense Support Program (DSP) missile-warning constellation. Its final two satellites took part in U.S. Space Command’s Apollo Maneuvers 2026 exercise in early September, then moved to graveyard orbit. The retirement does not mean the United States has lost space-based missile warning: DSP’s follow-on system, SBIRS, is already on orbit.
What happened to the DSP satellites?
During the first week of September 2026, the final two DSP spacecraft participated in Apollo Maneuvers 2026, U.S. Space Command’s first live-fly exercise focused on dynamic on-orbit operations. After the exercise, the satellites were moved to supersynchronous, or graveyard, orbit. Space Force Combat Forces Command reported the constellation’s decommissioning on October 1, 2026, as reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine.
U.S. Space Command says Apollo Maneuvers involved coordinated maneuvering across low Earth, medium Earth and geosynchronous orbits, with the aim of refining maneuver-warfare concepts. The final DSP satellites’ participation connected the end of a legacy mission with a demonstration of more dynamic operations in orbit.
The accessible reporting does not identify the two spacecraft by name or catalog number, so their individual identities are not established here.
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Why was DSP important?
DSP—short for Defense Support Program—used infrared sensors in geosynchronous orbit to detect missile launches. The U.S. military launched the first DSP satellite in 1970, and the constellation eventually comprised 23 satellites, according to figures reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine. That total describes the constellation over its history, not the number operating at any one time. The last DSP satellite launched in 2007.
Designed during the Cold War to warn of ballistic missile attacks, DSP also proved useful for detecting theater missile launches. During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, its warning capability helped monitor those launches. Its infrared sensors were also used to detect natural events, including forest fires and volcanic eruptions.
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Col. Brandon Davenport, commander of Mission Delta 4, described the system’s significance this way: “These last two satellites were the culminating end to over a half-century of space-based early warning.” He also said DSP “ensured deterrence during the Cold War and protected our deployed warfighters from the Gulf War until their retirement last month,” in statements reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Does DSP’s retirement end U.S. satellite missile warning?
No. DSP is retired, but its successor capability, the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS), is already on orbit. Space Force reporting describes SBIRS as a broader system that includes geosynchronous satellites, hosted sensors in highly elliptical orbit and ground systems. DSP and SBIRS are therefore successive parts of the warning mission, not evidence that the mission ended with DSP.
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The next transition is from aging SBIRS satellites toward Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR). Space Systems Command describes Next-Gen OPIR as intended to replace SBIRS and identifies improved resilience against threats as an objective. The Space Force is also developing a wider, multi-orbit missile-warning architecture, with planned medium-Earth-orbit and low-Earth-orbit components described in the October 2026 reporting.
| System | Role in the transition | Status and architecture |
|---|---|---|
| DSP | Legacy missile-warning constellation retired after its final satellites participated in Apollo Maneuvers 2026. | Retired; used infrared sensors from geosynchronous orbit. |
| SBIRS | DSP’s follow-on capability. | Already on orbit; reporting describes geosynchronous satellites, hosted highly elliptical-orbit sensors and ground systems. |
| Next-Gen OPIR | Planned successor to aging SBIRS satellites. | In development; Space Systems Command identifies greater resilience against threats as an objective. |
| Broader warning architecture | Expands the future warning effort across multiple orbital regimes. | Planned medium- and low-Earth-orbit components are described in the October 2026 report; the architecture is not a single replacement satellite system. |
What is known about the planned Next-Gen OPIR polar satellites?
The FY2027 budget status of the planned Next-Gen OPIR polar satellites was unresolved in the October 1, 2026 report. It said the Space Force had proposed canceling the effort, while lawmakers supported maintaining it in draft legislation. That account does not establish a final budget outcome; the status should not be treated as settled without later legislative confirmation.
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Lt. Col. Ann Hughes, commander of the 2nd Space Warning Squadron, said: “Retiring our legacy DSP system allows us to best posture for the future.” She added that the focus is on a “reliable, consistent, and seamless picture of missile threats regardless of the operational environment,” according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
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