Director of Golden Dome for America (GDA) Gen. Mike Guetlein tours the Vertical Launching System (VLS) site at North Field, Andersen Air Force Base, July 16, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by William J. Busby III)
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ― The Pentagon’s Golden Dome czar said that the 12 contenders for future space-based interceptor (SBI) development contracts have passed the first of four milestones in the Space Force’s demonstration effort.
“All of the providers that are part of the competition are progressing exceptionally well, and Gate 1 just came to a closure. I have not seen the results of Gate 1, but as I have heard back from Space Systems Command (SSC), all providers look positive and will continue into Gate 2,” Gen. Michael Guetlein told the annual Army Space and Missile Defense conference here on Tuesday.
He explained that there are four “gates,” or “tests,” under SSC’s unusual prized-based SBI competition. As first reported by Breaking Defense, the arrangement requires industry competitors to self-fund prototype development and demonstrations of space-based weapons that can neutralize enemy missiles, in hopes of winning relatively small pots of prize money along the way.
“Gate 1 is to get the design in place and do component level testing. Gate 2 is to build a capability that can go into outer space. Gate 3 is to prove that that capability works in outer space. Gate 4 is to prove that the capability actually works as part of the broader Golden Dome architecture,” Guetlein said.
