The Space Development Agency (SDA) is launching a study aimed at assessing how its proliferated satellite constellation can support the Trump administration’s proposal for a homeland missile defense shield.
In late January 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Defense Department to establish an “Iron Dome for America.” Although its name references Israel’s Iron Dome, this system is intended to counter a spectrum of advanced missile threats, including hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles, and drones.
This multilayered defense architecture will incorporate several space-based elements, building on existing programs such as the Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program and the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The proposal also encompasses the development of space-based interceptors, igniting complex and politically charged discussions surrounding this capability.
The SDA’s proliferated architecture includes hundreds of missile-warning satellites capable of detecting and tracking threats in orbit. In a notice published Wednesday, the agency announced it is conducting a study to explore how its architecture could be augmented as part of the Iron Dome proposal. They are soliciting technology concept proposals from companies interested in contributing to this initiative.
In a statement, SDA expressed interest in industry feedback regarding the implementation of the Iron Dome for America architecture, emphasizing the need to build on and integrate PWSA’s current capabilities into missile defense and global kill chains.
Key areas of study identified by the agency include: high-fidelity modeling, simulation and analysis of PWSA’s effectiveness against current and emerging threats; fast-tracking the integration of Missile Defense Agency’s space-sensor technology; introducing new missile tracking technologies; securing SDA’s supply chain; and enhancing on-orbit sensor data processing and fusion capabilities. Proposals must be submitted by February 28, and the results of this study will directly inform the Department of Defense’s plans for missile defense.
Simultaneously, Senate lawmakers have introduced legislation that seeks to allocate an additional $10.4 billion to the Missile Defense Agency’s fiscal year 2026 budget and $19.5 billion for fiscal year 2025 to support the missile shield initiative. This bill was introduced by Senators Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and builds upon Trump’s proposal while incorporating insights from the Pentagon’s 2022 Missile Defense Review, which the Biden administration oversaw.
Courtney Albon, the author of this report, is a space and emerging technology reporter for C4ISRNET. She has been covering the U.S. military since 2012, concentrating on the Air Force and Space Force as well as key challenges related to Defense Department acquisitions, budgets, and policies.
