The United States wants to deploy space interceptors to counter missiles in the launch phase, in the face of Chinese and Russian threats.
The Golden Dome initiative, presented by the US government, provides for the installation of missile interceptors in space, capable of neutralizing projectiles as soon as they are launched (boost phase). This strategy aims to intercept missiles as far away as possible from US territory, before they pick up speed. The project is part of a context of increasing militarization of orbit, in the face of Chinese and Russian anti-satellite arsenals. The head of the Space Force, General Chance Saltzman, insists on the need to make space operational for defensive missions, despite high costs and significant technical challenges. At the same time, the Space Force is warning about the “space combat” capabilities developed by China, with satellites maneuvering in orbit to simulate attacks against other spacecraft. The article highlights the strategic evolution of space as a military theater in its own right.
Space interceptors in boost phase: technical and strategic issues
The launch phase (boost phase) of a ballistic missile constitutes a short interception window of approximately 120 to 240 seconds. During this phase, the missile is slowed down, more visible, with an intense thermal signature, which allows for rapid detection via space infrared sensors. With this in mind, the Golden Dome program aims to position interceptors in low Earth orbit (LEO).
The strategy is based on a simple principle: to destroy the missile as soon as it leaves the ground, before it picks up speed or divides into multiple warheads. This approach reduces the risks to ground infrastructure and removes the threat at its point of origin.
However, there are many challenges:
- Ultra-short reaction time to engage the interceptor.
- Orbital distances to be covered quickly, requiring advanced propulsion capabilities.
- Kinetic precision for an intercept with no margin for error.
- High cost: each interceptor could cost more than 200 million euros, according to estimates from previous space defense programs.
The historical precedent of the “Brilliant Pebbles” program in the 1980s, or the partial failure of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), shows the complexity of such ambitions. Today, the strengthening of the American private space industry (notably Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX) is making it possible to reduce development times, but not yet the structural costs.
Militarization of space: towards a global paradigm shift
Space has become a priority tactical domain. Since 2020, satellites have not only been used for telecommunications or observation. They have also become platforms for military action.
The statements made by Generals Saltzman and Guetlein reveal a major doctrinal shift. The United States now accepts the idea of an orbital confrontation, even evoking scenarios of “dogfights” between satellites. This type of confrontation involves satellites capable of:
- Changing trajectory at high speed;
- Approaching enemy objects to interfere with, deactivate or destroy them;
- Using directed energy or electromagnetic jamming systems.
In 2024, China carried out coordinated maneuvers of five space objects, including the Shiyan-24C and Shijian-6 05A/B satellites, simulating close attacks. These exercises were spotted at an altitude of approximately 500 km, in low Earth orbit.
This type of capability, known as proximity operations, enables:
- The sabotage of competing equipment;
- The collection of advanced electronic information;
- The interception of data flows.
In response, the Space Force is developing six categories of countermeasures: three on the ground (jammers, directed energy weapons, anti-satellite missiles) and three in orbit (interference, laser, kinetic attacks).
The logic is no longer defensive but preventive and proactive. The overall cost of this change is colossal. According to the Pentagon, spending on the space arsenal will exceed 25 billion euros by 2026, or nearly 16% of the global military space budget.
Geopolitical and technological consequences of the Golden Dome doctrine
The rise of Golden Dome marks a major technological and diplomatic turning point. The placing of active weapons in orbit could cause a domino effect, encouraging other powers to do the same. Russia, already equipped with Nudol anti-satellite missiles, could strengthen its orbital capabilities. China, in the process of deploying its Beidou network, could couple navigation and offensive capabilities.
This would have several consequences:
- Saturation of low orbit, already estimated at 7,500 active objects (source: ESA, 2024).
- Increased risk of collision and debris, as during the Russian test in 2021 (more than 1,500 persistent fragments detected).
- Increasing complexity of international space law, based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, ill-suited to contemporary realities.
The legal problems are becoming structural: no international body specifically regulates the offensive use of space. The treaty simply stipulates that “space must be used for peaceful purposes”.
In this context, interoperability with Western allies (particularly NATO and AUKUS) becomes a requirement. In 2024, the United States also initiated enhanced space cooperation with Japan and Australia for the sharing of orbital data and the joint development of tactical satellites.
Finally, the race to intercept in orbit could lead to technological acceleration of autonomous anti-satellite systems, with decision-making capabilities integrating on-board AI, which raises questions of security and operational control.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.