The American company Millennium Space Systems has postponed the launch of the Epoch 1 missile warning satellites until 2027.
The first six satellites for the U.S. Space Force were planned to be launched into medium Earth orbit by the end of 2026.
However, the company, which is owned by the aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing, reported difficulties, Defense Daily reports.
The problems are related to the supply of components, as well as to ensuring the required level of ground testing.
“We need to conduct proper testing to ensure that the system is fully operational in orbit,” said a US Space Force spokesman.
Epoch 1 satellites are part of a promising US military satellite constellation.
They will track launches of intercontinental ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
The satellites are equipped with modern infrared sensors capable of detecting launch signatures and calculating flight trajectories. This allows for prompt transmission of data for early warning and targeting of defense systems.
To implement the program this year, the U.S. Space Force Command also signed a $1.2 billion contract with BAE Systems.
Under the agreement, BAE will supply 10 satellites to track missile launches. They will also be launched into medium Earth orbit.
This project is part of the second phase of the Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking (Epoch 2) program.
The new constellation of satellites will be part of the US multi-layered defense architecture known as the Golden Dome.
The placement of the satellites in medium Earth orbit – from 2,000 to 35,786 km above the Earth – was not chosen by chance: such orbits provide better coverage than low-earth orbit satellites, as well as higher resolution and lower signal delay than geostationary systems.
The first batch of satellites under the Epoch 2 program is scheduled to be delivered in fiscal year 2029.
Earlier it was reported that the United States already has the technology to begin developing space-based interceptor missiles capable of destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles.
