US Politics
Space Force awards secret contracts for Trump’s Golden Dome
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U.S. Space Force has awarded multiple small contracts to companies to help develop prototypes for a crucial but unproven technology that will be used in President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” defense system, according to a report.
The contracts, each under $9 million, are to develop space-based interceptors – a weapons system that would rely on a series of low-orbiting satellites that could track down an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile and intercept it before it strikes.
Space Force did not provide any details about which companies the contracts were awarded to. Because the contracts are for a relatively small amount, the agency is not required to disclose detailed information, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.
In a statement, obtained by Bloomberg, Space Force said the contractors weren’t disclosed because they are “protected by enhanced security measures.”
“The selection process was robust and thorough,” Space Force said in the statement, adding that it is looking to “lead a fast-paced effort in partnership with industry to develop, demonstrate and deliver prototype interceptors.”
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The Independent has asked Space Force for comment.
The announcement appears to be one of the first major steps from the Pentagon as it seeks to develop Trump’s “Golden Dome.”
In May, Trump announced his plans for a “Golden Dome,” claiming it would be a “cutting-edge” operation missile defense system to protect the U.S. from missile attacks.
The “Golden Dome” appeared to take a page from Israel’s “Iron Dome” – a similar air defense system that operates only from the ground, as well as former President Ronald Reagan’s proposed “Star Wars” program.
“We have certain areas of missiles and certain missile defense, but there’s no system,” Trump told reporters in May. “We just have some very capable weapons that hopefully we never have to use, but we have some very capable weapons now,”
Trump estimated the “Golden Dome” would be fully operational by January 2029.
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However, experts have cautioned about the military’s ability to implement space-based interceptors. Doing so would be extremely costly and experimental because it would require launching hundreds of weapons into space.
“Despite decades of support from influential policymakers, the resources required to deploy space-based interceptors would be better spent on other layers of US missile defense,” Thomas G. Roberts, an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote in a 2018 article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Sciences.
In addition to the awarded contracts, Space Force also plans to ask for proposals related to space-based interceptors’ ability to conduct kinetic midcourse missile defense, according to a recently posted pre-solicitation.
Kinetic missile defense is the act of using energy from an object in motion to intercept another object. Midcourse interceptions utilize the strategy of intercepting long-range missiles in the middle of their course, making them easier to target. However, the downside to a kinetic midcourse missile defense system is that it may be unable to distinguish a missile from other debris.
The upcoming request for proposals will be posted in early December.
