By Sandra Erwin
Welcome to SpaceNews' Military Space, your source for the latest developments at the intersection of space and national security. In this week's edition: Golden Dome's space layer could break the bank and commercial space is muscling its way into the missile-defense race.
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CRS: Congress still in the dark on Golden Dome plan
As lawmakers and defense contractors wait for the Pentagon to unveil its proposed architecture for the Golden Dome missile defense system, the Congressional Research Service warned that Congress still doesn't have enough information to meaningfully assess the program.
The reference architecture, requirements and implementation plan directed in President Trump's executive order from January have not been made public.
"Congress may consider whether or not to require DoD to report certain details, and whether or not to direct DoD to make all or some of those details unclassified and publicly available," CRS said in a report.
The administration has pegged the system's cost at $175 billion — a number experts say is likely to balloon. "Historically, missile defense systems have exceeded initial budget estimates and schedules," CRS noted.
Beyond the price tag, some lawmakers warn that space-based interceptors could destabilize nuclear deterrence by threatening the retaliatory capabilities of Russia and China.
"Congress may consider how China and Russia have responded to Golden Dome and may respond to future missile defense efforts," CRS said.
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Will Golden Dome's space interceptors break the bank?
The most ambitious element of the Golden Dome missile defense initiative is also its most expensive: space-based interceptors. These would be deployed in low Earth orbit and designed to intercept and destroy enemy targets in flight.
Some of the most detailed cost projections come from Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime defense budget analyst. Using a tool called Defense Futures Simulator and an online cost calculator, Harrison has modeled multiple versions of a space interceptor constellation — from modest deterrent to global shield.
Even small changes in assumptions can drive massive swings in total cost, Harrison told reporters last week.
According to Harrison's modeling, a robust, all-threat missile shield could reach trillions of dollars over 20 years, depending on factors such as how many missiles the system must stop, when in flight they're targeted and how much precision the system is built to achieve. Adjusting the altitude of intercept or the delta-V — the change in velocity required for each satellite — can alter the price tag by hundreds of billions.
Experts have argued that space assets could engage threats faster and closer to launch, possibly knocking out missiles before they release warheads or decoys.
The catch is orbital physics. Space interceptors must constantly circle the planet, meaning most are "out of position" when a launch occurs — what analysts call orbital absenteeism. Covering multiple potential threat zones at once could require tens of thousands of interceptors, even to counter a salvo of a few dozen missiles during their boost phase.
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Understanding what's possible
The U.S. Space Force and the Missile Defense Agency, meanwhile, are moving to assess the state of the technology for space-based interceptors and are planning demonstrations.
Requests for information (RFI) and requests for prototype proposals published in recent months indicate the Pentagon intends to fund demonstrations of space-based interceptors. The notices also signal the government's interest in attracting non-traditional defense providers to accelerate development. Exoatmospheric interceptors, which destroy targets above 120 kilometers, would engage threats during the boost and mid-course phases of a missile's flight. Endoatmospheric interceptors, operating below that threshold, would target missiles within the atmosphere. Both types would ride on host satellites or other space-based platforms that provide power, communications and other essential services prior to an intercept. A central ground segment would manage the interceptor constellation, sending commands, receiving telemetry and controlling communications links through a space data transport layer. Industry sources said this space data transport layer could include the MILNET Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellite communications network and the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).
MILNET PLEO is a new program that first surfaced in the Trump administration's 2026 defense budget, which allocated $277 million to support development of a secure, government-owned satellite communications constellation. Sources familiar with the program said the constellation would be built by SpaceX, leveraging technology similar to the mesh network the company is building for the National Reconnaissance Office. PWSA, run by the Space Development Agency, aims to create a mesh of military satellites in low Earth orbit that can relay data across the battlefield.
A recent Space Systems Command RFI asked industry for information on radios capable of linking space-based interceptors to the space data transport layer. The notice specified the use of the Link-182 waveform, which was developed for MILNET.
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Golden Dome lures commercial space
Analysts see Golden Dome as potentially the most lucrative defense opportunity in a generation.
The usual defense primes are poised to dominate. Firms such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and L3Harris — all with deep portfolios in missile defense, radar, and command-and-control systems — are widely viewed as early frontrunners. These companies already supply the backbone of current U.S. missile defense systems, and they hold major contracts for next-generation systems under development.
But Golden Dome's gravitational pull is extending beyond the traditional defense base. Commercial space companies are maneuvering to get in on the action, betting that the Pentagon's eventual architecture will emphasize rapid-launch capabilities, proliferated satellite constellations and agile manufacturing.
One early move: Firefly Aerospace's planned acquisition of SciTec, a firm specializing in space sensing and missile tracking technologies — a deal that Firefly says positions the company for Golden Dome opportunities.
Another commercial player eyeing Golden Dome is satellite manufacturing startup Apex. At an event Monday marking the opening of a new California facility, Apex CEO and co-founder Ian Cinnamon said the company has "a war chest of hundreds of millions of dollars to let us increase manufacturing out of this facility and build even more."
The largest of Apex's satellite models, Comet, "supports everything from communications, to synthetic aperture radar, to things like space-based interceptors," he added. "Whether it be critical infrastructure, commercial constellations, or programs like Golden Dome, we are here to meet that need." | | |
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