First Next-Gen OPIR missile-warning launch slips to 2026 after sensor delays

US Space Force/Next-Gen OPIR

A GAO report said the first Next-Gen OPIR satellite for geostationary orbit would launch no earlier than March 2026 instead of late 2025. RTX had delivered the infrared sensor 13 months late, and the 2025 launch manifest was crowded.

• Lockheed Martin was still due to deliver the satellite in September 2025.
• The full system is two GEO satellites (Lockheed) and two polar satellites (Northrop Grumman).
• The polar satellites were on track for a first launch in 2028.
• It replaces the six-satellite SBIRS constellation.