Defense contractor Lockheed Martin is designing a space-based missile interceptor and aims to test the technology for potential integration into President Donald Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ defense shield within the next three years. The defense contractor revealed this week that it hopes to test a satellite defensive weapon capable of destroying hypersonic missiles by 2028.
If successful, this would mark the first time in history the United States has deployed interceptors in space to destroy enemy missiles before they reach the homeland. Lockheed is still weighing different technologies, ranging from lasers to kinetic satellites that could maneuver and strike high-speed targets in flight.
“We have missile warning and tracking satellites made by Lockheed Martin in orbit today that provide timely detection and warning of missile threats,” said Amanda Pound, mission strategy and advanced capabilities director at Lockheed Martin Space, told Fox News Digital.
“We are committed to making space-based interceptors for missile defense a reality, leveraging our decades of experience, investments, and industry partnerships, to be ready for on orbit testing in 2028.”
Lockheed’s space interceptor project directly supports Trump’s “Golden Dome for America” initiative, first unveiled in May 2025. The ambitious missile defense concept calls for a global constellation of satellites armed with sensors and interceptors, designed to detect, track and eliminate advanced missile threats – including hypersonic and ballistic weapons – before they can strike U.S. soil.
The idea echoes President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative, often dubbed