WASHINGTON - The Golden Dome missile defense program could cost anywhere from $252 billion to $3.6 trillion over a 20-year period, depending on critical political and strategic decisions that have not yet been made, according to a new report from the American Enterprise Institute.

The report’s author, AEI senior fellow Todd Harrison, underscores that the program's final cost will be driven by political choices regarding which threats to counter and what areas to protect. The analysis outlines six potential architectures, finding that systems relying on space-based interceptors to defend against a full-scale attack from Russia or China would cost trillions, while a more limited system targeting drones and cruise missiles would cost significantly less.

According to the study, major questions about the program's geographic coverage, the scale of threats it will be designed to defeat, and its technical requirements remain unanswered. The report concludes that the $175 billion figure previously cited by Mr. Trump would only be sufficient for a limited system that is inadequate against the arsenals of peer adversaries. The final cost will ultimately depend on how much risk policymakers are willing to accept.

Source: Space News
Associated URL: https://spacenews.com/golden-domes-cost-anywhere-from-billions-to-trillions-depending-on-design

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Boeing unveiled a 3D-printed solar array substrate approach that compresses composite build times by up to six months on a typical solar array wing program from print to final assembly. This represents a production improvement of up to 50% when compared to current cycle times.

Flight-representative hardware has completed engineering testing and is progressing through Boeing's standard qualification path ahead of customer missions.

The first 3D-printed solar arrays will fly Spectrolab solar cells aboard small satellites built by Millennium Space Systems. Both non-integrated subsidiaries are part of Boeing's Space Mission Systems organization.

Beyond the arrays themselves, Boeing's approach enables a parallel build of the complete array, pairing a printed, rigid substrate with flight-proven modular solar technologies.

By printing features such as harness paths and attachment points directly into each panel, the design replaces dozens of separate parts, long-lead tooling, and delicate bonding steps with one strong, precise piece that is faster to build and easier to integrate. It is built upon the foundation of Boeing's qualified additive, flight-proven materials and processes.

Across the Boeing portfolio, the company has incorporated more than 150,000 3D-printed parts, yielding significant schedule, cost, and performance benefits.

This includes more than 1,000 radio-frequency parts on each Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite currently in production and multiple small-satellite product lines with fully 3D-printed structures.

The new array approach is designed to scale from small satellites to larger platforms, including Boeing 702-class spacecraft, targeting market availability for 2026.

By printing the panel's structure and built-in features, Boeing can assemble the array in parallel with cell production. Robot-assisted assembly and automated inspection at Spectrolab further reduce handoffs, improving speed and consistency.

Source: Boeing
Associated URL: https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2025-09-10-Boeing-Sets-Rapid-Pace-with-3D-Printed-Solar-Array-Substrates

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Boeing has developed a 3D-printing method for manufacturing solar array substrates, which the company states can reduce production time by up to 50%.

The new process could shorten the time from the start of printing to final assembly by as much as six months on a typical solar array program. According to the company, hardware produced with this method has completed engineering testing and is now undergoing Boeing's standard qualification process for spaceflight.

The technique involves printing a rigid substrate with integrated features like harness paths and attachment points directly into the panel. This design consolidates dozens of separate parts and eliminates the need for long-lead tooling and complex bonding procedures, resulting in a single, precise component. The process is based on Boeing's existing qualified materials for additive manufacturing.

The first solar arrays built with this method will be used on small satellites manufactured by Millennium Space Systems and will incorporate solar cells from Spectrolab; both are subsidiaries of Boeing. This approach also enables the complete array to be built in parallel, pairing the printed substrate with modular solar technologies.

Source: Boeing
Associated URL: www.boeing.com