[[{“value”:”
WASHINGTON — From what is known so far about the Trump administration’s missile defense initiative known as Golden Dome, its backbone will be space-based sensors. But some of the most critical and hotly contested contracts may come from less visible parts of the architecture: ground infrastructure and the software that will manage the “system of systems.”
“The concept behind Golden Dome is not to create a literal dome over the country,” said Mark Henrie, vice president and deputy general manager at Amentum. “It’s about a global constellation of space-based assets working in concert with robust ground infrastructure and existing missile defense systems.”
One of the biggest challenges in Golden Dome is how to command and control such a complex system of systems, Henrie told SpaceNews. His company Amentum has developed ground control systems for the Missile Defense Agency and is positioning for a role in Golden Dome.
The Golden Dome represents the administration’s answer to evolving threats from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, whose advancing missile capabilities have exposed gaps in America’s current defenses. Unlike existing systems primarily designed to counter threats from specific regions, Golden Dome aims to create a comprehensive shield against ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, as well as space-launched weapons, through an integrated network of space-based sensors and ground infrastructure.
“We’re basically looking at the world. We’re detecting threats from wherever they originate,” Henrie explained. “So you’ve got to have a distributed command and control across the world.”
A missile threat “would span across multiple regions, so you have to have the ability to hand off battle management from one region to another,” Henrie noted. Systems on the ground will have to fuse data from satellites, radars and other surveillance systems to determine the best target track and assign the best interceptor, then handing off the engagement command.
The current missile defense system, designed primarily to counter long-range ballistic missiles from North Korea and Iran, operates a command and control battle management communication system that integrates elements across locations in the United States and globally, including maritime platforms.
The Golden Dome command and control system must integrate data from space-based sensors, ground-based radars, and other sources to provide a unified operational picture and enable real-time decision-making, Henrie noted.
Amentum, which merged with missile defense contractor Jacobs in September, recently rolled out what it calls a “common ground-space enterprise architecture” that it’s pitching for Golden Dome.
The firm developed a ground system for the Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellites — which the Trump administration has identified as part of Golden Dome. HBTSS satellites are designed to detect and track maneuvering hypersonic threats. L3Harris’s version recently passed testing milestones, according to the agency.
Henrie suggested the ground system software developed for HBTSS could be expanded to other Golden Dome components, including sensor satellites deployed by the Space Development Agency and new constellations envisioned for the program, such as one focused on detecting aerial moving targets.
“You need to have seamless handover from one sensor to another, no matter what kind it is,” he emphasized.
The connective tissue of Golden Dome also will depend on analytics software and data integration technologies.
Investment analysts at William Blair equity research have identified Palantir and L3Harris as companies expected to provide critical ground-systems technologies for Golden Dome, noting that both “will provide key components for the space tracking software layer for Golden Dome.”
L3Harris developed the Space Force’s Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System (ATLAS), which analysts believe will likely integrate into Golden Dome’s command and control infrastructure. ATLAS software tracks and analyzes space objects using data from ground and space sensors and could identify threats like hypersonic glide vehicles.
Palantir serves as a prime contractor for the Space Force’s Kobayashi Maru data orchestration and analytics cloud system, which aggregates and standardizes inputs from ATLAS, the military’s Unified Data Library, and sources like HBTSS satellites into a common operating picture.
“The scope of Palantir’s and L3Harris’s existing contracts will likely be further expanded,” William Blair analysts wrote, noting that the Kobayashi Maru-ATLAS system will likely integrate with a Missile Defense Agency command-and-control software system being developed by Lockheed Martin.
Andrew Chanin, who runs ProcureAM, the firm that created a pure-play space ETF, reports enormous interest across the space industry in participating in Golden Dome, driven by the program’s projected size and opportunities to apply dual-use space technology for defense purposes.
Chanin noted that investors are closely monitoring Golden Dome developments, particularly how the administration structures the program and builds political support to secure funding. While traditional defense contractors are likely to be significant beneficiaries, he said, the program’s scope also creates opportunities for emerging commercial firms.
Companies are still waiting for crucial details about Golden Dome’s acquisition strategy, including which agencies will have procurement authority — information essential for developing competitive strategies.
The industry was expecting to receive updates at the “Golden Dome for America Industry Summit” June 11 in Huntsville, Alabama, hosted by the Missile Defense Agency. However, MDA announced June 2 that the conference has been canceled, stating that “an announcement will be made on SAM.gov if/when a new date and location are planned.”
“}]]
Source: Read More