Golden Dome takes first step as US companies pass key missile-defence tests

SpaceX, Northrop Grumman and other companies developing space-based missile interceptors for President Donald Trump's $185 billion Golden Dome missile defence programme have completed their first key tests, marking an early milestone in the ambitious effort, a U.S. Space Force official said on August 12.

General Michael Guetlein, the Space Force officer leading the programme, said all participating companies would now move to the next phase, which will involve demonstrating that their technologies can operate in space, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The initial tests for at least some of the companies included transferring data from sensors to an interceptor and demonstrating spacecraft propulsion systems.

The Space Force in April awarded contracts to 12 companies, including RTX, Anduril Industries and Lockheed Martin, to develop weaponised satellites capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.

The administration has allocated $3.2 billion for the programme, with potentially tens of billions of dollars in additional contracts to follow.

Golden Dome is among the most ambitious U.S. efforts to develop space-based missile defence since President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defence Initiative during the Cold War. That programme was ultimately abandoned amid high costs, technical difficulties and limited political support.

The Pentagon has established a prize-based competition under which teams will compete for funding as they reach successive milestones. These include a ground test, two space flight tests and an eventual demonstration of an interception capability.

The programme is intended to culminate in a prototype system, although significant technical and operational challenges remain.

By Aghakazim Guliyev