What is the Golden Dome? Trump announces US missile defence system plan
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the ambitious plan for the Golden Dome, America's new missile defence system.
Donald Trump has referenced the Golden Dome in a speech earlier this year and has also signed an executive order to that effect
According to experts quoted in an NPR report, space-based interceptors will likely be a key part of the new missile defence system.
Golden Dome is the new missile defence system announced by US President Donald Trump. It derives its name from Israel's 'Iron Dome' system, which has been battle-tested in the country's conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. But it is bound to be a little different.
While the Iron Dome is built to intercept slow-moving missiles and rockets that have a short range, the missile threat to America is vastly different.
A big part of the difference between the two systems is the size of the landmass that needs to be protected. Israel is more than 400 times smaller than the United States, and it's mostly a flat desert that's easy to defend, according to the NPR report.
The missiles that could be used to attack the United States also differ vastly from Hamas rockets. Russia, China and any other country that could launch an attack on the US possess Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, with fast-moving hypersonic speeds and a longer range.
The only way to intercept a hypersonic missile is to build a missile defence with technology placed in space.
According to NPR, the idea is to have satellites in orbit that could spot missiles as they leave the ground and then shoot them at the beginning of their flight. The problem with such a system is that satellites keep moving around the Earth, so the challenge would be to place them over the right spot at the right time. To achieve that, a huge constellation of interceptors would be needed, with some reports putting the number at a whopping 16,000.
It surely could be done, as shown by Donald Trump's closest advisor, Elon Musk, through his Starlink internet satellites. But it would be an expensive affair.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
6 minutes ago
- India Today
Won't get Nobel for halting India-Pak war: Trump at it again after PM fact-check
US President Donald Trump rued that he won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for "stopping" the war between India and Pakistan, repeating the claim despite being fact-checked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue days ago. Trump's rant on Truth Social came as Pakistan formally nominated him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize."I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan... I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize, no matter what I do," Trump said while listing a series of key diplomatic peace outcomes that he claimed to have brokered. advertisementThe US President stuck to his version of events days after PM Modi set the record straight by telling him that at no point during the hostilities with Pakistan last month, was trade or mediation on the issue discussed with the US administration. India has made it clear on several occassions that the ceasefire was directly negotiated between the two nations upon Pakistan's insistence. It came as India struck vital military sites and airbases inside Pakistan as part of its Operation Sindoor.'WON'T GET NOBEL PRIZE NO MATTER WHAT I DO'The eccentric US President began his lengthy post by announcing that he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had secured a "wonderful" treaty between Rwanda and Congo that would halt the war characterised by "violent bloodshed and death"."Representatives from Rwanda and the Congo will be in Washington on Monday to sign documents. This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World!" Trump by the US and Qatar, Rwanda and Congo agreed to a truce to end decades of conflict that killed thousands of people in the region and displaced hundreds of thousands of InMust Watch
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
Putin Leaves Trump Red-Faced On Mediating Iran-Israel War: 'Never Sought That Role'
Russian President Vladimir Putin clarified that he was not seeking a role as a mediator in Iran-Israel conflict, but was only suggesting ideas to friends on how to resolve the crisis. His statement came after U.S. President Donald Trump opposed the idea of Putin being a mediator last week, by claiming that he should focus on Russia-Ukraine war first. Watch for more details. Read More
Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Very hard to stop Israel's strikes on Iran: Trump doubtful of possible ceasefire
Amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, US President Donald Trump has cast a doubt on the possibility of a ceasefire between the two countries. He said on Saturday that it would be 'very hard to stop' Israel's strikes on Iran in order to negotiate a possible ceasefire. While Donald Trump spoke in favour of a ceasefire, he said Israel's strikes on Iran could be "very hard to stop when you look at it.'(AFP) When asked about Iran saying Trump could call on Israel to stop its strikes to further a ceasefire deal, Trump said, 'I think it's very hard to make that request right now.' While Trump did speak in favour of a ceasefire, he said Israel's strikes on Iran could be "very hard to stop when you look at it.' "Israel's doing well in terms of war. And, I think, you would say that Iran is doing less well. It's a little bit hard to get somebody to stop," Trump said. His statement came after the White House said Trump saw a "substantial chance of negotiations" amid the conflict, as it said the US was seeking additional time to decide if its military would step in. Also read: Israel warns of 'prolonged war' with Iran as conflict enters ninth day; Donald Trump says Iran only wants US talks 'If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing," Trump said. 'But we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," news agency AP quoted him as saying. Trump made the remarks after he called his own director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard 'wrong' in saying that the US believed Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. Trump was asked about Gabbard's remarks back in March suggesting the US spy agencies believed that Iran wasn't working on nuclear warheads. The president said, 'Well then, my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?' Informed that it had been Gabbard, Trump said, 'She's wrong.' Trump has sought more time to decide whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility. The facility is buried under a mountain and is used to enrich uranium, possibly for making a bomb. Trump has also cast doubts on Iran's developing nuclear capabilities for civilian pursuits, like power generation. Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, calling them "preemptive" and aimed at preventing Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons. While Trump decides on whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war, he has said he would support a ceasefire, "depending on the circumstances".
