The US is asking defense contractors for information on space-based interceptors to knock out incoming missile threats, as the Pentagon explores President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defense shield.
The idea of strapping rocket launchers, or lasers, to satellites so they can shoot down enemy intercontinental ballistic missiles as they lift off is not new - it was part of the Star Wars initiative devised during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. But it represents a huge and expensive technological leap from current capabilities.
The notice, published on Friday, is the first alert to industry that the Missile Defense Agency and US Space Force are holding a series of meetings to discuss space-based interceptors.
In the notice, they ask companies to provide specific information on actual or conceptual "space-based interceptors" that would knock out ICBMs during the "boost phase" - the slow and predictable climb through the Earth's atmosphere. Current defenses target enemy missiles while they travel through space.
The Pentagon said it is also interested in concepts capable of "post-boost, early midcourse, or midcourse intercept that show a path to boost-phase intercept, including kinetic and non-kinetic effectors, sensors/seekers, and fire control solutions."
"This notification would seem to confirm the near likelihood that both space sensors and space-based interceptors will be a key component of Golden Dome's forthcoming architectural plans, which will probably emerge in the coming weeks," said Tom Karako, a weapons and security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The MDA has established multiple delivery timelines for Golden Dome, with the earliest capabilities expected by December 31, 2026, and additional capabilities phased through 2030 and beyond.
Competing against international players
The industry engagement will be held in Alabama over multiple days from April 30 to May 2. It comes amid growing concerns about advanced missile threats from Russia and China, as well as regional powers such as North Korea and Iran. Hypersonic weapons, which can maneuver at speeds exceeding Mach 5, pose particular challenges to existing ground- and sea-based interceptor systems that target enemy missiles during the portion of their flight path when they have the greatest maneuverability and can most effectively evade missile defenses.
Industry representatives from major defense contractors including Lockheed Martin LMT.N, Northrop Grumman NOC.N, and RTX Corp RTX.N, formerly Raytheon, as well as newer contractors such as Elon Musk's SpaceX, software firm Palantir PLTR.O and drone maker Anduril, are expected to submit proposals outlining technological approaches and deployment strategies for space-based interceptor systems, sensors or control systems.
Russia condemned a January executive order by Trump to build a new missile defense shield, accusing the United States of trying to upset the global nuclear balance and pave the way for military confrontation in space.