Golden Dome: or How the United States Is Preparing for Star Wars

Arming space to defend with capabilities that didn’t exist at the time of Ronald Reagan’s shield. From Lockheed Martin to SpaceX – which, however, denies involvement – a “system of systems” worth hundreds of billions.

BY EMILIO COZZI

At first, the White House called it the “Iron Dome for America” but later changed the name to avoid confusion with Israel’s missile defense system.
The American version will be more ambitious, aiming to protect the entire U.S. territory against attacks from enemy powers: ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and cruise missiles. Additionally, it will be based on a new space-based infrastructure capable of detecting and intercepting threats even far from U.S. soil.

Today, it is called the “Golden Dome,” a name that on its own raises expectations and reflects the massive investment needed to build it, estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. What has not changed is its symbolic value in the narrative Donald Trump has promoted since before returning to the presidency: America is surrounded and must defend itself. At least in this regard, not in the technical details of the system, the initial parallel with Israel is telling (though this is not the place to dwell on the differences between a small state embedded in the Middle East and a country protected by two oceans and bordered by Canada and Mexico, neither of which poses a nuclear threat).

The Shield Championed by Trump

On January 27, 2025, the White House signed an executive order aimed at forcefully reviving the United States’ missile defense program. While it may appear to pay homage to the past, its focus is firmly set on a future in which technological supremacy and national security depend on space.

The comparison with Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative is inevitable. Just like back then, when Reagan’s system was nicknamed “Star Wars,” today’s plan relies on cutting edge technologies, a futuristic vision of defense, and a strong ideological component. But while the Cold War shaped the global agenda in the 1980s, today’s context is multipolar and more fluid. Threats can come from so called rogue states, from non state actors, and from targeted cyberattacks. Still, it is worth noting that none of these adversaries possess the ballistic technologies to strike the United States, except for Russia, China, and perhaps Iran and North Korea.

However, in a climate of instability that risks collapsing into a deadly escalation, from the eastern borders of Europe to Iran, with China’s commercial and military interests stretching across much of Southeast Asia, a technological shield superior to any existing defense system is considered a vital step for U.S. homeland security.

Right now, to detect and counter threats from the sky, surveillance must also come from the sky. And for two main reasons: the broader horizon that satellites provide and their ability to observe anyone without violating borders, flying over even those countries considered hostile or adversarial.

There is also an important new factor. Orbital assets themselves can be targeted. This is a possibility that the Golden Dome plan takes into account.

What the White House Is Asking For

In short, Golden Dome will be a missile shield against attacks from foreign powers, from ballistic, hypersonic, and advanced cruise missiles, as well as other next generation aerial threats. It envisions the deployment of a network of space based sensors. It will enable the development and deployment of both space based and ground based interceptors capable of neutralizing threats even before launch and during the boost phase, when ballistic missiles are still ascending or accelerating. It will include an additional protective layer to defend the satellite constellation itself. The system will also provide interception capabilities to protect cities and non military targets, and will include non kinetic defense systems, such as lasers or jamming technologies, to neutralize threats. It will rely on a secure and resilient supply chain.

In other words, it involves deploying multiple layers of security, integrating space assets for surveillance and weapons placed in orbit with hundreds of satellites, radar systems, and ground based weaponry. A recent scoop from Reuters revealed the frontrunners in the competition to provide this system to the U.S. Department of Defense. Leading the pack is a consortium formed in December 2024 by SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril.

Elon Musk and the Others

According to Reuters, SpaceX, the software company Palantir, and drone manufacturer Anduril have presented a plan for a system made up of 400 to more than 1000 satellites designed to detect missile launches and movements, along with a separate fleet of 200 satellites armed with projectiles or lasers to intercept enemy assets. According to sources, the news agency specifies, SpaceX is not expected to be involved in arming the satellites.

The plan would combine Elon Musk’s company’s satellite production capabilities with Palantir’s artificial intelligence and software and Anduril’s expertise in weapons systems. Together, the consortium offers what few others can. Thanks to SpaceX, they have the ability to mass produce satellites at competitive costs, as it already does with Starlink, and the ability to launch them into orbit quickly using Falcon 9, Heavy, or Starship. Once fully operational, Starship will be able to carry more than any other launch vehicle, potentially deploying an entire constellation in record time.

Reuters also points out that all three companies were founded by major political supporters of Donald Trump. In Palantir’s case, its founder is Peter Thiel, a close ally of Vice President James David Vance. But Elon Musk stands out. He donated more than a quarter of a billion dollars to support Trump’s re election and now serves as a special advisor in charge of cutting public spending through the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE. A wildcard in this alliance that has not gone unnoticed, even though Musk publicly stated his lack of interest in the project.

Whether the entrepreneur is telling the truth or engaging in pre tactical maneuvering is anyone’s guess, especially considering that, according to Reuters sources inside the administration, more than 180 companies and actors have shown interest in Golden Dome contracts.

Lockheed Martin has created a webpage to promote its role in Golden Dome and is already working on a satellite constellation for communications and threat tracking from orbit. The project is called the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture and is being developed for the Space Development Agency of the Department of Defense. Northrop Grumman is also involved in the program. Other major players like Boeing and Raytheon Technologies are expected to compete. Reuters also mentions startups like Epirus, Ursa Major, and Armada.

Details remain scarce, particularly regarding the specific contributions each company might make. General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, recently downplayed the branding effort by stating that this is not a system. There will be no Golden Dome. It is a system of systems that must work together. That is why we will not have a single contract vehicle. Multiple programs will be launched to achieve the mission against these threats. It is more likely, then, that many companies will compete, each offering their specific expertise.

Still, an interesting detail emerges regarding the SpaceX proposal. According to Reuters, it includes a subscription based model. Just like its rockets or satellite internet services, the hardware would remain privately owned, and the U.S. government would pay to use it. This model raises concerns, as it mirrors an existing dependence on private companies for astronaut transport and low Earth orbit connectivity, such as Starlink.

The stakes are enormous. SpaceX estimates cited by Reuters say the preliminary engineering and design work for the satellite shield layer will cost between 6 and 10 billion dollars. The entire project, however, could be worth tens or more likely hundreds of billions. Lockheed Martin, for example, claims on its website that things could kick off as early as 2026, a clear sign that the defense giant is determined to win contracts.

Much will depend on Musk’s influence over decision makers and the administration’s willingness to retain full control over the assets needed to protect American citizens from attacks by Beijing, Moscow, or Tehran.

Compared to the 1980s, when space was seen as merely a transit zone for intercontinental ballistic missiles, suborbital flights that exit the atmosphere to suddenly strike distant targets, today outer space is an operational domain, and one that is increasingly fortified. It will be even more so with new constellations like the one envisioned by Golden Dome and those planned by other nations. After land, air, sea, and cyberspace, interception, sabotage, blinding, or destruction will happen in orbit.

These are the real Star Wars.