Get the latest tech news

Scientists Explain Why Trump's $175 Billion Golden Dome Is a Fantasy | Shooting missiles out of the sky from space could require a constellation of 36,000 satellites.


Shooting missiles out of the sky from space could require a constellation of 36,000 satellites.

One of Trump’s early executive orders tasked the Pentagon with coming up with an “ Iron Dome for America ” that could knock nuclear weapons and other missiles out of the sky before they hit U.S. targets. The interceptors of the Patriot, Aegis, and THAAD systems are much more capable than those of the Iron Dome, but even if they were used, a very large number would be needed to attempt to defend all important potential targets in the United States. As a consequence, new systems for defending against ICBMs have been proposed again and again, and about half a dozen have been built, costing large amounts of money, in the hope that a technical fix could be found that would make us safe.

Get the Android app

Or read this on r/technology

Read more on:

Photo of Trump

Trump

Photo of Scientists

Scientists

Photo of Space

Space

Related news:

News photo

US libraries cut ebook and audiobook lending programs following Trump executive order

News photo

Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' would create a regulation-free AI hellscape, AGs warn

News photo

Trump admin lifts hold on offshore wind farm, doesn’t explain why | Reasons for the hold were never backed up, and nobody's explaining why it ended.