On May 20, President Donald Trump announced the contents of the multi-layered Golden Dome missile defense program worth $175 billion.
Trump said the program will require an initial investment of $25 billion, with a total over-time cost of $175 billion. The initial amount of $25 billion was determined in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" tax bill, but the bill has yet to be passed.
However, the US Congressional Budget Office estimates that the US government could eventually spend more, up to $542 billion over the next 20 years, on the space components of the system alone.
Speaking at the Oval Office, Donald Trump hopes the system will " function fully before my term ends," which is in 2029, and will intercept missiles "even if they are launched from space."
Mr. Trump also appointed a general of the Space Force to head this ambitious program. At a press conference at the White House, President Trump announced that Space Force Commander Michael Guetlein will be the main manager of the project, which is considered the foundation for the US leader's military plan.
Mr. Trump emphasized that Golden Dome will "defend our homeland" and revealed that Canada has expressed its desire to participate in this project.
First mentioned by President Trump in January, the Golden Dome aims to create a satellite network to detect, track and intercept approaching missiles. The shield can deploy hundreds of satellites to detect and track missiles.
Elon Musk's SpaceX, along with companies Palantir and Anduril, are emerging as leading candidates to build critical components of the system.
The idea of the Golden Dome was inspired by Israel's Iron Dome defense system, which has been equipped to protect Israel from missiles and rockets since 2011. However, President Trump's Golden Dome shield is much larger, including a series of giant surveillance satellites and a separate attack satellite fleet capable of firing down attack missiles right at launch.
The BBC points out that the Golden Dome will be much larger than the Iron Dome and designed to counter more threats, including hypersonic weapons capable of moving faster than the speed of sound and a Fobs system that can launch warheads from space.
The announcement on May 20 was for the Pentagon to begin testing, then purchase missiles, systems, sensors and satellites as part of the Golden Dome shield.
