Trump Is Reportedly Going Full Steam Ahead with the Golden Dome
Gizmodo • • business
Key Points:
- The Pentagon has selected satellite startup Impulse Space and defense tech company Anduril to develop prototypes for the space-based missile tracking and targeting technology central to the Trump administration’s Golden Dome plan.
- The Golden Dome aims to create a satellite network capable of detecting and intercepting aerial threats to U.S. soil, though experts question the practicality and effectiveness of the unproven technology.
- Announced in January 2025, the project’s timeline remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from a 20-year build to a first major test before the 2028 presidential election.
- Other defense contractors, including Northrop Grumman, True Anomaly, and Lockheed Martin, have also been involved in developing prototypes and competing for production contracts related to the program.
- Critics argue the program is scientifically challenging and prohibitively expensive, with some estimates projecting costs up to $3.6 trillion by 2045, echoing past missile defense initiatives that never fully materialized.
