HUNTSVILLE, Ala.— Lockheed Martin is developing concepts for deploying missile interceptors in space as part of Golden Dome for America, the Trump administration’s ambitious program to create a comprehensive missile defense system protecting the U.S. homeland.
The aerospace and defense giant plans to conduct an orbital demonstration of space-based interceptors by 2028, aligning with President Trump’s timeline for establishing initial Golden Dome capabilities, company executives said during a meeting with reporters Aug. 4 at Lockheed’s facilities.
“We’ll be ready to support an on-orbit demonstration by 2028,” said Amanda Pound, director of space mission strategy and advanced capabilities at Lockheed Martin.
The Golden Dome initiative represents a significant expansion of current U.S. missile defense capabilities, which primarily focus on protecting forward-deployed military forces rather than the continental United States. Trump’s executive order directing the Department of Defense to pursue the program specifically calls for incorporating space-based interceptors as a key component.
Details remain under wraps
Pound declined to specify whether Lockheed’s space-based interceptor concept would rely on kinetic “hit-to-kill” technology or directed-energy systems using high-powered lasers. She said detailed discussions about specific technologies would be premature until the government releases its architectural requirements for Golden Dome.
“We’re looking forward to the architecture coming out soon, and to understand more of what they need for space based interceptor capability,” Pound said.
The appeal of space-based interceptors lies in their potential to engage missile threats during the critical boost phase, immediately after launch from enemy territory. This orbital positioning would create what proponents describe as a “first line of defense” capable of responding within seconds from any point above the globe — potentially faster than ground- or sea-based alternatives.
Early interception would neutralize threats far from U.S. territory, reducing the risk of warhead or decoy dispersal, according to defense analysts. Space-based systems also avoid gravitational constraints that affect ground-launched interceptors, potentially enabling smaller, more agile kill vehicles with quicker response times to launches detected by expanding networks of space-based sensors.
Building on existing portfolio
Dan Nimblett, Lockheed’s vice president of layered homeland defense, emphasized that “the architecture for Golden Dome has not been released to industry or publicly,” noting the company isn’t proposing specific architectural solutions at this stage.
However, Lockheed is positioning its existing missile defense portfolio — including radar and sensor networks, command and control systems, missile interceptors, and early warning satellites — as a foundation for Golden Dome development.
Brian Dunn, vice president for strategy and business development, characterized Golden Dome as an extension of current tactical missile defenses. “As we look at how do you design and develop a Golden Dome architecture, we do that today at a smaller scale, across all the combatant commands,” he said. “Now, of course, we’re going to be doing it out of our homeland. So the stakes are a little bit higher. The expanse of our defended area is greater.”
Command and control challenges
Lockheed executives, as well as other industry experts, identified Golden Dome’s potential command-and-control requirements as unprecedented in scope and complexity. The system would need to integrate data from orbiting satellites, ground-based radars, and sea-based sensors to detect and track launches globally, then assign optimal interceptors — whether space-based or terrestrial — within seconds of missile detection.
“Golden Dome for America is a challenge unlike anything attempted at this scale or on this timeline,” said Thad Beckert, Lockheed Martin’s director of strategy and business development for rotary and mission systems.
The integration challenge requires massive automation and seamless coordination across multiple domains and military branches, each operating different technologies and procedures.
To address these challenges, Lockheed built a prototyping digital environment for Golden Dome at its modeling and simulation center in Suffolk, Virginia. “We’ve built an environment where multiple companies can come together and collaborate,” Beckert said, adding that the facility will be “open to industry” and designed to include both traditional and non-traditional defense partners.
Beckert emphasized that successful Golden Dome testing must account for physics across all operational domains: outer space, Earth’s atmosphere, sea surface, and undersea environments.