WASHINGTON, — May 6, 2026 : Defense technology company Anduril Industries has announced that it is leading an industry consortium selected to support the United States Space Force Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program, a major element of the Department of War’s broader “Golden Dome for America” missile defense initiative. The effort is intended to develop and demonstrate an orbital missile defense architecture capable of countering increasingly advanced ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile threats facing the United States homeland.
The SBI program is focused on establishing a proliferated constellation of interceptors in low Earth orbit designed to engage threats during boost-phase, midcourse, and glide-phase flight. The initiative is intended to address operational challenges posed by next-generation missile systems developed by near-peer adversaries, including highly maneuverable delivery vehicles and hypersonic weapons that significantly reduce available reaction time for existing homeland defense systems.
According to Anduril, the program aims to provide earlier detection, persistent tracking, and rapid engagement capabilities against missile threats before they can approach U.S. territory. The broader Golden Dome architecture is targeting an initial operational capability demonstration around 2028.
Anduril stated that it is integrating its proprietary software-defined defense architecture with technologies and platforms from five partner organizations spanning the commercial space sector and government research institutions. The company emphasized that affordability, rapid manufacturing scalability, and accelerated deployment timelines are central requirements of the SBI effort.
The consortium includes Impulse Space, which will provide highly maneuverable spacecraft systems intended to support rapid-response orbital operations. Eric Romo, President and Chief Operating Officer of Impulse Space, stated that the program requires advanced spacecraft solutions capable of executing technically demanding missions under accelerated timelines.
Inversion Space is contributing operational deployment systems designed for large-scale implementation and rapid fielding. Co-Founder and CEO Justin Fiaschetti said the company’s focus is on developing systems optimized for speed, scalability, and operational deployment in support of next-generation defense missions.
Satellite infrastructure support for the program will be provided by K2 Space. The company is supplying high-power satellite platforms intended to support the interceptor architecture’s operational requirements. K2 Space Co-Founder and CEO Karan Kunjur stated that the company’s satellites are designed to deliver significantly increased onboard power and payload capability for national security missions.
Sandia National Laboratories is contributing weapons research expertise and advanced payload development capabilities to the consortium. Scott McEntire, Senior Manager for Hypersonics at Sandia National Laboratories, said the laboratory is applying decades of experience in advanced weapons development to support the creation of new defense systems for the program.
Manufacturing scale and industrial infrastructure support will be provided by Voyager Technologies through its Voyager American Defense Complex. Matt Magaña, President of Space, Defense and National Security at Voyager Technologies, stated that space-based interceptors are intended to counter threats that allow little or no warning time, requiring persistent readiness and large-scale industrial production capabilities.
Anduril noted that effective layered missile defense depends on close integration between interceptor hardware, onboard sensing systems, and command-and-control software capable of processing targeting data and coordinating engagements in real time. The company stated that development work under the SBI program is already underway, with the consortium working to deliver operationally relevant interceptor systems on timelines aligned with the evolving global missile threat environment.
The company also confirmed that it is one of 12 firms awarded agreements under the SBI effort. The program forms part of a larger package of approximately 20 Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements with a combined potential value of up to $3.2 billion.
Separately, Booz Allen Hamilton has also been awarded an OTA agreement by the U.S. Space Force through Space Systems Command to develop a prototype under the Space-Based Interceptor program. The award indicates that the Space Force is pursuing a multi-contractor development approach for the SBI initiative, with multiple industry teams working on different interceptor technologies, software architectures, mission systems, and operational concepts simultaneously.
Under this framework, Anduril’s consortium represents one of several industry-led teams contributing to the broader Golden Dome missile defense architecture. The use of multiple OTA agreements allows the Space Force to accelerate technology development, evaluate competing solutions, reduce program risk, and expand participation across the U.S. defense and commercial space industrial base before future operational selections are made.
The Space-Based Interceptor initiative represents a significant expansion of U.S. efforts to establish an integrated homeland missile defense architecture in space, combining commercial space industry capabilities with military and national laboratory expertise to accelerate deployment of orbital defense systems.
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