US Space Force wants space-based missile interceptors for Golden Dome ready by 2028

A notional illustration of the Golden Dome system intercepting a missile. (Image credit: Lockheed Martin) The United States Space Force has created a new program to develop space-based missile interceptors, with the goal of being able to demonstrate their capability within two years.The U.S. Space Force established the Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program in order to develop a constellation of spacecraft that can defend the United States against "a new generation of threats" such as hypersonic weapons, neutralizing them while in flight. The program is part of the planned Golden Dome for America defense system announced by President Trump last year. Estimates of the system's price tag range wildly, from the White House's projected $175 billion to as high as $3.6 trillion.Space Force's SBI program aims to develop a constellation of space-based interceptors capable of "boost, midcourse, and glide phase engagements," meaning they can track and intercept advanced hypersonic vehicles during the three distinct stages of their flight: while they are initially accelerating with a rocket motor; as they are flying through the upper atmosphere; or in their final glide phase, during which they can maneuver at high speeds en route to their targets. A U.S. Government Accountability Office illustration showing