Anduril appears on Golden Dome roster
- The U.S. Space Force disclosed on April 24 that Anduril is among 12 companies picked to build Golden Dome space-interceptor prototypes, a core piece of President Donald Trump’s missile-defense plan. - The awards span 20 other-transaction contracts worth up to $3.2 billion, with prototypes meant for a 2028 demonstration in low Earth orbit against boost-, midcourse- and glide-phase threats. - The Pentagon says Golden Dome could cost $185 billion, while outside estimates for the space layer alone run far higher and depend on Congress approving new funding. (defensescoop.com)
The U.S. Space Force has named Anduril as one of 12 companies developing orbital interceptors for the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile-defense program. (defensescoop.com) The list released April 24 includes Anduril, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics Mission Systems, GITAI USA, Quindar, Sci-Tec, True Anomaly and Turion Space. (breakingdefense.com) Space Systems Command said it issued 20 other-transaction agreements in late 2025 and early 2026 worth up to $3.2 billion combined. The service said the contractors are supposed to deliver prototype work for an initial capability by 2028. (defensescoop.com) (spacenews.com) A space-based interceptor is meant to work like a missile-killing satellite: a weapon parked in orbit that tries to hit an enemy missile after launch. The Space Force said this layer is being designed for boost, midcourse and glide-phase engagements in proliferated low Earth orbit. (breakingdefense.com) (defensescoop.com) That matters because Golden Dome is not just a radar network or a software upgrade. It is a plan for a much larger homeland-defense architecture against ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles and drones, with the orbital interceptor layer as one of its hardest pieces to build. (defensescoop.com) (defenseone.com) Anduril’s appearance on the roster puts a fast-growing defense startup alongside the biggest traditional missile-defense contractors. The Space Force did not disclose each company’s contract value or which firm is responsible for which part of the interceptor architecture. (breakingdefense.com) The money behind the program is still unsettled. The Pentagon is asking for $17.5 billion for Golden Dome in fiscal 2027, but DefenseScoop reported that only $398 million of that request comes from the base budget and the rest depends on a future reconciliation package. (defensescoop.com) (politico.com) Cost estimates are also moving targets. The administration has put Golden Dome at about $185 billion, while lawmakers and budget analysts have pointed to a Congressional Budget Office estimate that a limited space-based interceptor layer alone could cost $161 billion to $542 billion over 20 years. (breakingdefense.com) (aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org) (federalnewsnetwork.com) Gen. Michael Guetlein, who leads the Golden Dome office, has said the Pentagon needs to show visible progress soon. The Space Force’s contractor list does that on paper, but the harder test is whether any of these companies can turn a Cold War-era idea into hardware that works in orbit on schedule and with congressional money behind it. (breakingdefense.com) (defenseone.com)
