The Pentagon has scheduled its first major test of the multibillion-dollar Golden Dome missile defense system for just before the 2028 election, according to two sources familiar with the matter, setting an aggressive deadline for military officials to prove they can turn President Donald Trump’s vision for a space-based shield that can protect the entire US into a reality.
The timeline lines up with Trump’s pledge in May to “have it done in three years.”
“Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world,” he said at the time.
Missile tests are typically scheduled well in advance, one of the sources, a defense official, told CNN. But the timing of the test, which is currently scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2028, also suggests “they want a win to point to in November [2028],” the official said. “And DoD wants to avoid anything they perceive will slow them down.”
The MDA is planning to call the test FTI-X, the defense official said. “FTI” stands for Flight Test Integrated, indicating that the test will involve Golden Dome’s many sensors and weapons systems working together to engage multiple targets.
The Missile Defense Agency, which would carry out the testing, did not return a request for comment.
The three-year timeline is particularly ambitious given that the US has been exploring the possibility of space-based missile intercept for decades, the defense official said. But it’s still a “hard problem, and technically very risky,” the official said. “The possible number of satellites needed to achieve a probability of engagement success is going to be very high, given the time and area needed to cover the continental United States.”
Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, who was tapped by Trump in May to lead the development of Golden Dome, alluded to that challenge in remarks at a space industry summit last week.
“I think the real technical challenge will be building of the space-based interceptor,” Guetlein said. “That technology exists, I believe. I believe we have proven every element of the physics, that we can make it work. What we have not proven is, first, can I do it economically, and then second, can I do it at scale? Can I build enough satellites to get after the threat? Can I expand the industrial base fast enough to build those satellites?”
Ultimately, the tests conducted in 2028 may just constitute “phase one” of the program, the second source said. This person noted that right now, the project is all about moving quickly and relying on existing systems to show that the broader concept of a massive missile shield is worth more funding.
Trump said in May that $25 billion dollars will be allocated for Golden Dome from his sweeping spending tax and spending cuts package, which lawmakers signed into law earlier this month. But the project is expected to cost at least hundreds of billions of dollars, CNN has reported.
Some technologies that Golden Dome will likely require are already being tested. Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden said in an earnings call this week, for example, that the company is already beginning to test space-based interceptors, with the goal of “playing a crucial role in supporting” the administration’s goal to move “at speed” in building Golden Dome.
The Pentagon also announced last month that the Missile Defense Agency had successfully tested a long-range radar system in Alaska, built by Lockheed Martin, that can track a live ballistic missile target from as far away as Russia and China. That sensor, or one like it, will likely be a key part of Golden Dome.
Broadly, however, defense officials and the firms hoping to be involved in the project are still waiting for Guetlein to provide a plan for the overall design of the highly complex system. It should come soon — in late May, Guetlein was given 60 days to define the initial architecture for the program and 120 days to prepare an implementation plan, according to a memo signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and obtained by CNN.
Much of the planning for Golden Dome appears designed to allow the Pentagon to move as quickly as possible to get it built, raising concerns among some defense officials that the program will lack proper oversight. “In the end, a lot of money could be spent trying to make this work, and then it might not even meet testing requirements or do what they want it to do,” the defense official said.
For example, a little-known Pentagon office called the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation is required to review Missile Defense Agency testing plans to determine their adequacy. But Hegseth ordered the gutting of that office shortly after it disclosed that it would be overseeing the testing of Golden Dome and the programs associated with it, CNN has reported.
Guetlein has also been given unique autonomy when it comes to awarding the highly lucrative contracts and procuring the technology for its construction, and he will report only to Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, the memo says.
The memo also states that Golden Dome will be exempt from traditional Pentagon oversight processes for the military’s most expensive weapons programs, because this “complex, highly technical effort requires a non-traditional acquisition approach and full support from all DoD components from inception.”
Dozens of companies are vying for a role in developing Golden Dome, the sources told CNN, but among the most competitive are SpaceX, Anduril, and Palantir. All three companies have made pitches directly to Hegseth, who has indicated he wants what they’re selling, CNN has reported.
