Wikipedia (en)
The Golden Dome is a proposed multi-layer missile defense system for the United States, intended to detect and destroy ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles before they launch or during their flight. The system would employ a constellation of satellites equipped with sensors and space-based interceptors. The architecture has been viewed as similar to the Brilliant Pebbles concept of the 1980s. If implemented, the U.S. would maintain space weapons in orbit for the first time.
The system would rely on thousands of space-based weapons or "interceptors" distributed around the entire Earth. Interceptors are kept staged near the edge of the atmosphere, where they must maintain rapid orbits to avoid falling back to Earth. Their rapid motion allows only a small fraction to be available at the right time and place to act on any given threat, a flaw that critics argue makes the concept less efficient than traditional regional missile defenses such as Iron Dome. However, the program's stated scope extends beyond defensive interception. In 2019, Donald Trump emphasized the system's offensive potential, stating the weapons would be "a very, very big part of our defense and, obviously, of our offense." He contrasted this capability with foreign adversaries, remarking, "We have some very bad players out there... but we can be far worse than anybody, if need be."
On January 27, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the United States Armed Forces to construct the Iron Dome for America before the end of his term; it was later renamed the Golden Dome in May 2025. Although the order and the name allude to Israel's short-range Iron Dome system, observers note that the Golden Dome would encompass the entire Earth, more like the Strategic Defense Initiative proposed by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
Cost estimates for the Golden Dome program range from $175 billion (White House), to $831 billion (Congressional Budget Office), to $3.6 trillion (American Enterprise Institute) depending on the architectural details. The wide range largely hinges on the number of space-based missiles and their continuous replenishment costs. Continuous replacement costs are increased by the use of low orbits which lead to early orbital decay due to atmospheric drag.
As of December 2025, the U.S. government has not publicly announced any contract awards for Golden Dome, though the Wall Street Journal has reported that SpaceX is "set to receive" a $2 billion contract to build a 600-satellite constellation for missile targeting. This came after Elon Musk's earlier denials of involvement, saying he was focused on Mars. Much smaller contracts for space-based interceptors were reportedly awarded "in secret" in late November. Awardees include Anduril Industries, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and True Anomaly. In December, over 1,000 "qualifying offerors" were deemed eligible for potential future awards.
