The programs
Golden Dome Sits on Top of PWSA, Starshield and a Decade of Missile-Warning Satellites
Golden Dome is the newest US military space program; the satellites it depends on were already being built.
US military space in Earth orbit is several programs run by different organizations. Golden Dome adds space-based interceptors and a targeting layer; the Space Development Agency's PWSA supplies the data relay and missile tracking; SpaceX's Starshield satellites carry both the NRO's reconnaissance constellation and Golden Dome's data network. What the programs do in orbit - counterspace weapons, debris, Starlink in Ukraine - is on Orbital Defense.
| Program | Runs it | What it is | Status | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Dome for America | Gen. Michael Guetlein, Space Force | Layered missile defense with a space layer | First phase targeted 2028 | Building |
| Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) | Space Development Agency | LEO data-relay and missile-tracking satellites | Tranche 1 launching | Building |
| NRO proliferated architecture | National Reconnaissance Office | Starshield-based reconnaissance constellation | About 200 satellites up | Observed |
| Next-Gen OPIR | Space Systems Command | Missile-warning satellites in GEO and polar orbit | Replacing SBIRS | Building |
| GPS III and IIIF | Space Systems Command | Navigation; built by Lockheed Martin | IIIF in production | Observed |
| X-37B | Space Force | Reusable robotic spaceplane | Eighth mission since August 2025 | Observed |
Golden Dome
Golden Dome: $185B Over 10 Years, First Phase in 2028
A layered missile-defense system whose space layer tracks and intercepts ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles.
Announced in May 2025 and led by Gen. Michael Guetlein of the Space Force, Golden Dome is running under a continuing resolution as of October 2026 on about $22.5B of one-time money. Gen. Guetlein has said the first phase will use existing technology and could be online in 2028.
| Item | Figure | Date or source | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|
| White House estimate | $175B | May 2025 announcement | Observed |
| Program estimate, 10 years | $185B | March 2026 revision | Observed |
| CBO estimate, space-based interceptor constellation | $743B over 20 years | About 7,800 satellites | Modeled |
| One-time funding appropriated | About $22.5B | Does not carry over under a continuing resolution | Observed |
| FY2027 request | $17.5B | Pentagon budget request | Observed |
| FY2027 NDAA authorization | $397M | October 2026 reporting | Observed |
| First phase operational | 2028 | Existing technology, per Gen. Guetlein | Building |
| Award | Contractor | Value | Due | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator | SpaceX | $4.16B | Initial fielding 2028 | Building |
| Space Data Network backbone (formerly MILNET) | SpaceX | $2.29B | Prototype end of 2027 | Building |
| Space-based interceptor prototypes | 12 companies | $3.2B | Integration 2028 | Building |
| Launches of communications and targeting satellites | SpaceX, 18 launches | $1.6B | By end of 2027 | Building |
| Suborbital test missions | Rocket Lab, 12 missions | $266M | Through 2028 | Building |
SpaceX holds more Golden Dome space-layer contract value than every other company combined, through the airborne-target tracking constellation and the Space Data Network. Any space-based interceptor that can hit a missile can also hit a satellite, which makes the interceptor layer the largest orbital weapons constellation proposed.
PWSA
PWSA: Hundreds of LEO Satellites for Data Relay and Missile Tracking
The Space Development Agency buys satellites in two-year tranches; the transport layer relays targeting data and the tracking layer follows missiles in infrared.
| Tranche | Satellites | Contractors | Status | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tranche 0 | 28 | York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, L3Harris | Launched 2023; demonstration | Observed |
| Tranche 1 | 154: 126 transport, 28 tracking | Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, York Space Systems, L3Harris | Launching since September 2025 | Building |
| Tranche 2 | About 270 | Several, incl. SpaceX launch of 44 tracking satellites ($739M) | Launches from late 2026 | Building |
| Tranche 3 tracking | 72 | Lockheed Martin $1.1B, L3Harris $843M, Rocket Lab $805M, Northrop Grumman $784M | Awarded December 2025; launches FY2029 | Projected |
Transport satellites carry Link 16 tactical radios and laser links between satellites; tracking satellites carry infrared sensors, half of Tranche 3 with fire-control-quality tracks for interceptors. Golden Dome draws on both layers.
Starshield
Starshield Is the Hardware, Not the Program
SpaceX's military Starlink variant carries classified payloads and encryption for several customers.
Starshield satellites carry the NRO's proliferated reconnaissance constellation - about 200 satellites, built with Northrop Grumman payloads - and Golden Dome's Space Data Network. The Space Force's Proliferated LEO contract, which buys Starlink and Starshield services, grew from a $900M to a $13B ceiling. Starlink's commercial network is covered under Comms & PNT.
Contractors
Six Companies Build Most of It
SpaceX leads in value; Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and L3Harris build the sensor satellites.
| Company | Programs | Role | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | Golden Dome, NRO, PWSA launch, Starshield | Satellites, data network, launch | Observed |
| Lockheed Martin | PWSA, Next-Gen OPIR, GPS IIIF, interceptors | Satellites | Observed |
| Northrop Grumman | PWSA, Next-Gen OPIR polar, NRO | Satellites, sensors | Observed |
| L3Harris | PWSA tracking | Infrared sensors, satellites | Observed |
| Rocket Lab | PWSA Tranche 3, Golden Dome tests, VICTUS HAZE | Satellites, launch | Observed |
| York Space Systems | PWSA transport | Satellite buses | Observed |
| Anduril, Palantir, True Anomaly | Golden Dome | Interceptors, software, proximity operations | Building |
China
China Runs Military Space Through the PLA Aerospace Force
No single program matches Golden Dome; the counterpart is an organization with reconnaissance, inspector and anti-satellite systems.
| Element | Organization | What it shows | Status | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA Aerospace Force | Central Military Commission | Military space split from the Strategic Support Force | Formed April 2024 | Observed |
| Yaogan reconnaissance satellites | PLA | Optical, radar and signals reconnaissance | Operating, dozens on orbit | Observed |
| Shijian-21 | CAST | Towed a dead BeiDou satellite to a graveyard orbit | January 2022 | Observed |
| Shijian-25 refueling Shijian-21 | CAST | Assessed first satellite refueling in GEO | Mid-2025 | Observed |
| Shenlong spaceplane | CASC | Reusable robotic spaceplane; three known flights | Longest 276 days | Observed |
| Ground-launched anti-satellite missile | PLA Rocket Force | Destroyed Fengyun-1C in 2007 | Operational system | Observed |
| Guowang | China SatNet | State broadband constellation with dual military use | Deploying | Building |
China's program structure, including the PLA Aerospace Force's place in it, is on Chinese Program Structure. In 2025 Shijian-25 docked with Shijian-21 in geostationary orbit and refueled it - assessed as the first satellite refueling in GEO by any country.
Russia
Russia Tests Weapons More Than It Builds Constellations
Destructive tests and long proximity operations, with limited capacity to build satellites at PWSA scale.
| Element | What it shows | Date | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nudol anti-satellite missile | Destroyed Cosmos 1408; about 1,500 tracked fragments | November 2021 | Observed |
| Luch/Olymp-K | Parked beside Western GEO satellites for years | 2014 onward | Observed |
| Cosmos 2576 | Shadowed a US reconnaissance satellite in LEO | 2024 | Observed |
| Nuclear anti-satellite weapon | Reported program; Cosmos 2553 named as a possible testbed | Under development | Projected |
Contested
Deliberately Not Claimed
The load-bearing uncertainties, tagged with the confidence they actually earn.
Golden Dome's architecture is not settled. Interceptor count, orbit and kill mechanism are still prototype choices; the $185B and $743B estimates price different architectures.
Funding is year to year. The one-time $22.5B does not continue under a continuing resolution, and the program chief warned in August 2026 that work could stop without new money.
Chinese and Russian capabilities are assessed, not published. Most entries rest on US government assessments and commercial tracking, not on statements by either country.
Record
Provenance and Data Sources
- Confidence
- Observed for flown, fielded or measured - Building for hardware and programs in development - Projected for announced plans - Modeled for original analysis
- Status date
- Q4 2026
- Golden Dome
- White House announcement (May 2025); program cost revision (March 2026); Breaking Defense and AeroTime on the funding warning (August 2026); The Gazette (4 October 2026)
- PWSA
- Space Development Agency tranche awards; Tranche 3 tracking awards (December 2025)
- China and Russia
- Secure World Foundation Global Counterspace Capabilities (2026); DIA assessments; Shijian-25 and Shijian-21 tracking reports (2025)
- Weakest link
- Golden Dome architecture and multi-year funding
- Use case
- Orbital Defense on the Earth Orbit hub