The US President Donald Trump has approved the $175 billion Golden Dome anti-missile shield project, which is intended to protect the United States from threats from China and Russia.
He stated this at a press conference, Reuters reports.
The American president chose Space Force General Michael Gatlin to lead the new project.
Golden Dome would launch a network of satellites, perhaps hundreds, into space to detect, track and potentially intercept missiles. Trump has said the shield should be operational by the end of his presidency in January 2029. Canada could also be part of the project.
However, industry experts are less certain about the short timeline and cost of the project. Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies believes that the Golden Dome will take ten years to complete, using the experience of Silicon Valley and the US in the software sector.
Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that building the Golden Dome could cost up to $831 billion over two decades.
Democrats in Congress have expressed concern that Trump-supporting Elon Muskʼs SpaceX company is actively participating in the Golden Dome project, along with other firms such as Palantir and Anduril.
Senator Kevin Cramer noted that this new defense system is more related to Silicon Valley technologies than to traditional "big military giants".
Golden Dome is intended to be a large-scale space-based defense system inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome. It includes surveillance and attack satellites that can shoot down missiles before they reach their target. The Pentagon is already beginning work on the system, testing and purchasing satellites, sensors, and missiles.
However, the funding for the project is in question. Republicans are proposing to allocate $25 billion for it as part of a broader $150 billion defense package. But the bill is stalling in Congress, and without it, the money for the project may not arrive. This could disrupt the implementation of the entire program.
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