Space Force Just Retired the Satellites That Watched for World War III

In late 1970, the U.S. military launched the first of a series of satellites designed to be on the lookout for missile attacks. Until last month, two of those satellites remained operational in geosynchronous orbit, but their long-running mission has finally come to an end.

The U.S. Space Force recently announced the retirement of the Defense Support Program (DSP), a constellation of satellites that once served as a crucial warning system during the Cold War. The last two remaining satellites…