New Plan to Defend Against Missiles from Space

The U. S. military is betting over $3 billion on a fresh approach to stop enemy missiles before they reach their targets. Instead of relying only on weapons on the ground, the Space Force now plans to place interceptors in orbit around Earth. Twelve companies got the green light to build and test these space-based defenses as part of a project called Golden Dome. Golden Dome isn’t cheap—it could cost around $185 billion in total. Most of that pays for the ground systems you know today: missile interceptors, radar dishes, and computer networks that decide where to fire. But the big change is the plan to add satellites that can spot and shoot down rockets soon after they launch. This would give the U. S. a way to stop threats much earlier in their flight.The shift began when the Space Force handed out early deals in late 2025 and early 2026. Companies like SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Anduril are all in the mix, competing to show their designs work best. Some contracts are small tests. Others could lead to much larger deals later on. Picking multiple teams keeps options open and lets the government choose the strongest performer. One key goal is to prove the system can defend the country by 2028. That’s a tight deadline. If successful, these orbiting interceptors could change missile defense forever. Instead of waiting for rockets to get close to U. S. soil, the military might stop them while they’re still climbing into space.