Vulcan grounding threatens the first Next-Gen OPIR launch

US Space Force/Next-Gen OPIR

After one of Vulcan's solid boosters suffered a serious anomaly on the February 2026 USSF-87 launch, the rocket was grounded pending an investigation. The first Next-Gen OPIR GEO satellite, already slipped from September 2025 to the end of March 2026, was among the missions most likely to be delayed.

• One of the four Northrop Grumman GEM 63XL side boosters misfired; the core stage compensated and the payload still reached its orbit.
• ULA said Vulcan would not fly until corrective actions were in place.
• WGS-11 and other national security payloads were also affected.