US Iron Dome – President Trump Ordered Work on the Most Ambitious Missile Shield in US History

Donald Trump this week ordered work on the most ambitious missile shield in US history, including space-based lasers. To detect, intercept and destroy ballistic nuclear missiles during their so- called boost phase, the three- to five-minute period before they enter orbit, would require laser beams effective over hundreds of kilometres. No such technology currently exists. The space-based part of the programme would require hundreds of carrier satellites to be launched — a market currently dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. All this assumes the space-based programme, which Grego described as a “fantasy”, will be approved by Congress and goes ahead.  …