Lockheed Martin is designing aspace-based missile interceptor and aims to test the technology for potential integration intoPresident Donald Trumps "Golden Dome" defense shield within the next three years.The defense contractor revealed this week that it hopes to test asatellite defensive weapon capable of destroying hypersonic missiles by 2028.If successful, this would mark thefirst time in history the United States has deployed interceptors in space to destroy enemy missiles before they reach the homeland. Lockheed is still weighing different technologies, ranging fromlasers to kinetic satellites that could maneuver and strike high-speed targets in flight."We have missile warning and tracking satellites made by Lockheed Martin in orbit today that provide timely detection and warning of missile threats," said Amanda Pound, mission strategy and advanced capabilities director at Lockheed Martin Space, told Fox News Digital."We are committed to making space-based interceptors for missile defense a reality, leveraging our decades of experience, investments, and industry partnerships, to be ready for on orbit testing in 2028."TRUMP UNVEILS GOLDEN DOME MISSILE SHIELD, BLINDSIDES KEY SENATORSLockheeds space interceptor project directly supports Trumps"Golden Dome for America" initiative, first unveiled in May 2025. The ambitious missile defense concept calls for aglobal constellation of satellites armed with sensors and interceptors, designed todetect, track and eliminate advanced missile threats including hypersonic and ballistic weapons before they can strike U.S. soil.The idea echoes PresidentRonald Reagans 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative, often dubbed "Star Wars," which was dismissed at the time as science fiction. But today, the technologies once seen as far-fetched arerapidly advancing, according to defense leaders.Gen.Michael Guetlein, appointed by the Trump administration to head Golden Dome, emphasized that key components of the system already exist, expressing confidence in achieving a test-ready platform by 2028. Still, its no easy feat."Intercepting a missile in orbit is a pretty wicked hard problem physicswise," said Jeff Schrader, vice president of Lockheeds space division. "But not impossible," he added, noting breakthroughs in maneuverability and guidance systems.Analysts caution that to make the Golden Dome vision a reality, the U.S. may need to launchthousands of interceptors into orbit. Some have compared it to theCold Warera "Brilliant Pebbles" program, which proposed a similar space-based missile shield but was eventually shelved due toskyrocketing costs and technical hurdles.Golden Dome is currently projected to cost$175 billion, with$25 billion already approved by Congress. But long-term estimates range anywhere from$161 billion to over $830 billion over two decades raising questions about the programs affordability and long-term sustainability.TRUMP'S 'GOLDEN DOME' WILL NEED MANHATTAN PROJECT-SCALE WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT EFFORT, SPACE FORCE GENERAL WARNSMeanwhile, Lockheed is bolstering ground-based missile defense systems to complement the orbital layer. In March 2025, the companysAegis Combat System aboard theUSS Pinckney successfully simulated the interception ofhypersonic medium-range missiles during theFTX-40 exercise, codenamedStellar Banshee.The company is also advancinginfrared seeker technology for interceptors, which would enhance the tracking and targeting of fast-moving missiles in their terminal phase.Lockheed remains a central player in the Pentagons broader missile defense and hypersonic weapons development effort. It is theprime contractor for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), which is targeting an initial operating capability by theend of fiscal year 2028.Simultaneously, the company is fulfilling Navy contracts for itsConventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic weapons system. Sea-based deployment of CPS is expected to begin between2027 and 2028.President Trump has publicly stated he wants Golden Dome operational by the end of his term. But industry officials warn thatsupply chain limitations and the Pentagonsslow-moving procurement system make full deployment by 2029 unlikely.