What is Golden Dome: Donald Trump’s proposed $175 Billion Missile Defense System for US with weapons to be placed in Space

On 20th May, President Donald Trump announced his intention to start construction of a new and advanced missile defence shield named “Golden Dome”, that would be able to intercept threats from space. He estimated the project would cost about $175 billion and be operational in three years. He vowed that the ambitious venture would be accomplished by 2029, the conclusion of his second tenure.

The system is intended to destroy “hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles, and advanced cruise missiles,” and he claimed to have “officially selected an architecture” for the same. It will integrate new technologies with current defence infrastructure to protect the United States from foreign missile threats, including those launched from space.

Trump initially launched the program in January with the goal of thwarting Russian and Chinese threats. Its goal is to establish a network of satellites, perhaps hundreds, that can follow, identify and intercept incoming missiles.

During a White House press conference, he announced that US Space Force General Michael Guetlein is going to serve as the principal program manager for what is considered to be the cornerstone of his military strategy. The president informed that $25 billion will be allocated in the budget for the following year to start construction.

President Trump said, “Once fully constructed, Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space, and we will have the best system ever built.” The initiative, he maintained, is the realisation of his long-standing campaign promise to create a cutting-edge shield that can intercept missiles at any stage of flight.

Trump announced that Golden Dome will “protect our homeland.” He added that Canada indicated its intention to be involved in it. He even referred to former President Ronald Reagan’s space-based missile defense system nicknamed as “Star Wars,” which the latter had suggested many years ago.

On the campaign trail, Trump started advocating for a US missile defense system modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome a year ago after witnessing the country deflect over 300 missiles and drones during Iran’s attacks, during the 2024 spring. He emphasised that the project is “very important for the success and even survival” of the United States.

Golden Dome and its significance

There will be both space-based and ground-based components in the Golden Dome. The system will be built to combat threats at four critical stages: early-stage interception, midcourse engagement, pre-launch detection and destruction as well as final-phase interception as missiles approach their targets. This implies that it will be able to track, destroy and intercept missiles from space or the ground as soon as they are launched.

Notably, hypersonic missiles are hard to track with traditional radar systems due to their great speed and low altitude during the glide phase, making them challenging to intercept from the ground or the sea. These challenges are better met by space-based tracking and interception systems, which provide benefits in detection and targeting, especially during the boost phase when the trajectory of hypersonic missiles is more predictable.

The Golden Dome’s design will work with current ground-based defense capabilities, according to Pentagon chied Pete Hegseth, and will shield “the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they’re conventional or nuclear.”

Pentagon planners have been developing various versions of the program for several months. These include “medium,” “high” and “extra high” in terms of cost and involve space-based interceptors. The cost and capability of these also vary on the quantity of sensors and satellites. A US planning official reportedly detailed persisting discussions around procurement requirements and system complexity.

Space-based interceptors would be bought for the first time, reported the Associated Press. This month, the Congressional Budget Office projected that the Golden Dome’s space-based elements alone might cost up to $542 billion over the course of the next 20 years. Trump’s proposed tax relief bill seeks an initial $25 billion for the program. It is currently pending in Congress.

The Pentagon has long warned that new countermeasures are required because Chinese and Russian missiles have become exceedingly sophisticated. Those innovative missiles would be stopped early or mid-flight by Golden Dome’s added satellites and interceptors which account for the majority of the program’s expenditure.

US Space Force Chief General Chance Saltzman told lawmakers that the space-based weapons planned for Golden Dome “represent new and growing requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations.” Russia and China have launched offensive weapons into space, including satellites that can take down vital American satellites, leaving the United States open to assault.

Golden Dome’s requirements continue to be developed by the Pentagon. According to the US official, the Pentagon and US Northern Command are currently working on what is referred to as an initial capabilities document. Northern Command which is in charge of homeland defense, determines what it needs the system to achieve.

Trump promised that all of the Golden Dome’s manufacturing will take place in the United States, with important sites located in Georgia, Alaska, Florida and Indiana. He pointed out that the US version would be much enlarged to protect against long-range missile threats from enemies like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, drawing inspiration from Israel’s Iron Dome.

The Iron Dome air defense system began operating in 2011 and has already intercepted thousands of short-range rockets and other projectiles launched by Hamas and other adversaries of the Jewish state.

He stressed that the complete system would be produced indigenously. Potential candidates for important positions include large contractors like Raytheon, L3Harris Technologies and Lockheed Martin. It is anticipated that the Pentagon would start testing a number of elements, including satellites, sensors and interceptors. These technologies will be purchased for the larger Golden Dome network after they have been verified.

Weaponised satellites in space

Putting missile-sensing and missile-destroying satellites in orbit above the planet is a major component of the Trump proposal. Thousands of tiny satellites that might strike a missile just seconds after it departs from its submarine or silo would be part of the system. A few years ago, such a huge satellite network would have been unimaginable but now it appears to be at least theoretically feasible.

SpaceX of Elon Musk has begun deploying a network of internet-transmitting satellites called Starlink using inexpensive rockets. According to SpaceX, the Starlink system presently consists of about 7,000 satellites in orbit, which is similar to most estimates of the number of satellites needed for a limited space-based missile defense capacity.

Interestingly, the billionaire is the head of the newly formed United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and has an advisory role in the Trump administration. He is known for having a close relationship with the president as well. Alongside Palantir and Anduril, SpaceX has become a leading contender to construct important components of the system.

Tom Karako, director of the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies highlighted, “The entire Golden Dome effort is long overdue.” He acknowledged that intercepting incoming missiles from space is a very diffcult task. Nevertheless, he asserted that the next major conflict will probably take place in part above Earth’s atmosphere.

He believes that Golden Dome’s capabilities will give the United States a strong defense that might be used for anti-satellite warfare if necessary. He added, “There’s a need to contend with a whole lot of things that are in space and going through space.”

Golden Dome and Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars

For many years, US politicians have dreamed of space-based missile defense. Plans for a system to intercept missiles from the Soviet Union were announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a bold attempt to defend the United States against nuclear assault with space-based lasers and interceptors was revealed by him.

The idea of a defensive shield that could identify and eliminate incoming missiles at every stage of flight seemed clear even though the technology was not yet available. “I know this is a formidable task, one that may not be accomplished before the end of this century. It will take years, probably decades of effort on many fronts,” Reagan declared at the time.

Its detractors called it “Star Wars,” claiming it was more science fiction than practical defense. However, it impacted US-Soviet armament negotiations and defined the strategic discussion of the 1980s. During the 1980s, the estimated cost of SDI varied between $60 billion and $100 billion. Ultimately, the Soviet Union fell apart before the vision could come to pass. Trump’s Golden Dome now reflects that same goal.

According to reports, Reagan’s determination on preserving SDI caused important weapons talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to stall. Golden Dome and SDI both represent crucial moments when American presidents put out ambitious military technology plans that went beyond what was feasible at the time. If it ever takes off, Golden Dome, like Star Wars before it, has the potential to change American perceptions of global arms control, military space policy and nuclear deterrence.

“Ronald Reagan (40th US President) wanted it many years ago, but they didn’t have the technology. It’s something we’re going to have. We’re going to have it at the highest level. We will truly be completing the job President Reagan started 40 years ago,” Trump boasted. He asserted that the technology of the system is “about as close to perfect as you can have,” despite the fact that some of its parts have not been tested.

Trump’s long-aspired dream

Trump supported the establishment of the US Space Force during his first term in office. On 20th December 2019, this new branch of the military was formally created. The Space Force was intended as a reaction to China and Russia’s expanding space military prowess.

Now, Golden Dome will be the first US defence system to be deployed in space. “I promised the American people that I would build a cutting-edge missile defence shield to protect our homeland from the threat of foreign missile attack,” Trump outlined.

Military officials stated last year that they had not indicated a need for such a shield to protect the United States as they cited already-existing missile defense systems. However, Trump’s remarks about constructing “the greatest dome of them all” were well received by the audience at his rallies. Afterward, Republicans made the development of a missile shield part of their party platform in advance of the 2024 elections.

Trump issued an executive order in January urging US secretary of defense, Peter Hegseth to fulfill it and wrote, “The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” on the 27th Januray order.

Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman and Hegseth’s senior adviser mentioned, “The Defense Department has gathered the brightest minds and best technical talent available to review a full range of options that considers current US missile defense technology and cutting-edge innovation to rapidly develop and field a dependable umbrella of protection for our homeland.”

Notably, the true test of the system will be whether its futuristic promises can withstand political scrutiny and technological reality, much like SDI did in the 1980s.

News