Last week, new information leaked about something Trump spent a lot of time talking about during his campaign…
A massive space project that could change the future of defense.
Establishing this “Golden Dome” became one of Trump’s first official acts after he returned to the White House.
And it seems to be a big priority for the administration.
Today, we’re going to take a closer look at this project because there’s a lot here to unpack.
And if things play out like I believe they will….
Trump’s Golden Dome could ignite another space race like the one we experienced during the Cold War.
What Is the Golden Dome?
On January 27, 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing the military to begin construction of a next-generation missile defense shield for the United States….
What is now known as Trump’s “Golden Dome.”
This executive order authorizes the U.S. to build a network of hundreds — possibly more than 1,000 — satellites that would circle the Earth to spot and shoot down incoming missiles before they reach American soil.
Some of these satellites would be armed with lasers or high-speed missiles. Others would be in charge of tracking threats in real time.
And I have to admit, it sounds pretty cool. It reminds me of Reagan’s “Star Wars” missile defense program that never got built.
But this kind of futuristic defense system won’t come cheap.
According to sources close to SpaceX, just the early work of designing and launching the satellites could hit up to $10 billion.
And that’s only scratching the surface of how much this Golden Dome project could eventually cost.
The full program might end up requiring the U.S. government to spend hundreds of billions of dollars by the time it’s up and running.
And that’s where things get a little janky.
Because this isn’t just going to be a government project. It’s expected to be a partnership between the Pentagon and private tech companies.
According to recent news leaks, Elon Musk’s SpaceX is the frontrunner to lead the satellite launches.
Palantir would apparently work on software that could track threats in real-time.
And Anduril, a startup focused on autonomous weapons, might be building the actual orbital interceptors. These are the satellites that will be armed with lasers or missiles.
I have mixed feelings about this plan.
On the plus side, a partnership with private companies should speed up the project’s deployment.
For a program like this, I would like the government to operate more like Silicon Valley than its typical Washington, D.C bureaucracy.
But I’m concerned that this partnership would give private companies too much control over U.S. defense.
And it’s particularly concerning once you understand how the project is expected to be set up.
Instead of the U.S. owning everything, SpaceX wants to sell access to the system like a subscription service. Think of it like Netflix for missile defense.
That seems extremely risky to me.
If the U.S. doesn’t fully own the tech, it could get locked into long-term payments without full control over how the project is run.
This could lead to a situation where national defense decisions are dictated by corporate interests.
For example, what happens if there’s a disagreement between the U.S. government and a company like SpaceX about who gets access to this system or how it’s used?
Or what if SpaceX decides to hike the price or limit capabilities to certain regions?
It’s not hard to imagine a future where Congress is stuck debating subscription fees while missiles are already in the air.
But there’s another aspect of this “Golden Dome” project that few people are talking about.
I believe the Golden Dome is about to ignite a new space race.
And that is both incredibly concerning due to its global implications…
And incredibly exciting for the opportunity it presents to investors.
Space Race 2.0
If the U.S. starts putting weapons in space, other countries are going to notice.
China and Russia are already nervous about U.S. space power. In fact, Russia has called the Golden Dome a threat.
Both countries are working to build on their own hypersonic missiles, which are designed to sneak past traditional defense systems.
If the U.S. suddenly rolls out a system that can detect and destroy those missiles from orbit, it’s pretty easy to predict what will happen next…
China and Russia will start building their own space systems.
Frankly, I expect China is already planning to build its own global satellite defense system. And they’re probably already working on anti-satellite weapons to knock U.S. satellites out of the sky.
And if we do build the Golden Dome, it’s almost certain that some of our allies will want to plug into it to stay protected.
If NATO countries join in, that would force countries like Iran or North Korea to pick sides too.
That’s the domino effect that could cause the Golden Dome to ignite a second space race.
After all, we’ve seen this same pattern play out before.
Back in the Cold War, the U.S. and Soviet Union rushed to build up their space programs.
When the Soviets launched Sputnik, the U.S. answered with Apollo.
In 1971, the Soviets launched the world’s first space station, Salyut 1.
And the U.S. responded with Skylab just two years later.
Today’s version of this escalation might be SpaceX versus China’s state-run satellite builders like CASIC.
But this time it’s not just going to be about pride or science.
It’ll be about global dominance.
Here’s My Take
International treaties ban weapons of mass destruction in space, but the Golden Dome isn’t quite that.
Still, it’s close enough to cause major arguments at the U.N.
That means there will be some hills to climb before this project gets off the ground.
But I believe it’s likely to go forward.
If it does, the full version of the Golden Dome could be up and running as soon as 2030. Some parts might even go live as soon as next year.
Meanwhile, over 180 other companies have expressed interest in helping build it today.
And I’m not just talking about traditional military-industrial giants like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.
That’s why some are saying this could be the moment Silicon Valley finally breaks into big-league defense.
It could also be a boon for investors.
Because if the U.S. goes all-in on the Golden Dome and other countries are forced to react, it means a ton of money will be poured into rocket launches, satellite tracking and space weapons.
In other words, the Golden Dome could end up boosting a whole sector of space and defense tech.
It could become an industry of itself.
And like the early days of the internet or smartphones, the biggest winners of this space race will be the ones who jump in early.
We’re already seeing this happening within the space sector of the Extreme Fortunes portfolio.
Just recently, we saw major validation for one key holding landing significant new government business…
While another company in our portfolio stands to benefit big time if this Golden Dome project gets finalized.
If you’re not a member of Extreme Fortunes already, you should consider joining us today!
Regards,
Ian KingChief Strategist, Banyan Hill Publishing
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