Space startups join Anduril in ambitious Washington’s missile shield initiative

American defence technology company Anduril Industries has unveiled the consortium of firms selected to help develop space-based interceptors for the United States Space Force as part of the Trump administration’s Golden Dome for America missile defence initiative.

Anduril revealed that its ​consortium includes Impulse Space, Inversion Space, K2 Space, Sandia National ⁠Laboratories, and Voyager Technologies (VOYG.N), as reported by Reuters.

The partnership combines emerging commercial space companies with established research institutions to deliver what Anduril described as “affordable, scalable” interceptor systems.

The Golden Dome initiative, projected to cost around $185 billion, aims to significantly expand existing US missile defence capabilities.

The program includes enhancements to ground-based interceptor missiles, sensors and command-and-control infrastructure, while also introducing orbital systems capable of detecting, tracking and potentially neutralising incoming threats from space.

Unlike traditional missile defence systems stationed on the ground, the Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program would place weapons in orbit, allowing the US military to destroy missiles much earlier in their flight path — shortly after launch.

Golden Dome director Michael Guetlein has previously described the SBI program as the most challenging component of the initiative, pointing to concerns over scalability and affordability. He has argued that directed-energy weapons and next-generation artificial intelligence offer the best prospects for reducing the cost of intercepting enemy missiles.

“The US's ‘near-peer adversaries have invested in exotic, highly manoeuvrable vehicles, introducing considerable challenges to protecting the US homeland,’” said Gokul Subramanian, Anduril’s senior vice president of engineering.

The consortium’s goal is to demonstrate an integrated interceptor capability within the broader Golden Dome architecture by around 2028, creating a new orbital layer for US homeland defence.

By Nazrin Sadigova