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OPINION:
Space isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s the next battlefield, and America is dangerously close to falling behind.
China and Russia are racing to knock out our satellites, jam our communications and blind us before we even know we’re in a fight. They are launching weapons and testing tactics, and they are not playing fair.
We rely on space every day, often without realizing it. GPS for our phones, weather forecasts, banking systems, precision agriculture and stock trading all depend on satellites. So do missile warning systems, nuclear command and control and troops on the ground.
Losing space dominance doesn’t mean just losing the high ground. It means losing everything beneath it, from everyday conveniences to national defense.
To remain the world leader in space, America needs a system that is fast, smart and made at home. In addition to missile interceptors and launch platforms, our defense needs eyes on the sky that never blink and the ability to respond before it’s too late.
As one senator recently told Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations: “We can’t shoot what we can’t see.”
No more blind spots
Seeing threats requires the ability to instantly detect, identify, track and predict adversary actions, whether that’s an intercontinental ballistic missile launch or the early preparation steps leading up to one. This sensing capability, often overshadowed by the weaponry, is essential. Without it, the Golden Dome, America’s next-generation space defense shield, won’t work.
A small group of elite technologists, all Americans with deep backgrounds in missile defense, have been working to meet this moment, even before the formal requirements have appeared. Their solution is called Orbital Guardians, an integrated system of sensors and decision tools that is safeguarding commercial and government satellites today. It is, in effect, the prototype for the Golden Dome’s eyes, America’s space domain awareness backbone.
The need for this capability is clear. In the fiscal year 2025 defense appropriations bill, the House Appropriations Committee warned: “While the Space Force is making substantial improvements in its ability to track objects in orbit, space domain awareness remains a critical gap, particularly the ability to provide real-time tracking and persistent custody across all orbital regimes.”
How we regain our edge
Orbital Guardians builds on the world’s largest commercial optical network, already operating 24/7 and tracking satellites, debris and potential threats in real time. Designed by American engineers with American ingenuity and without a single taxpayer dollar, it safeguards critical assets today.
Still, optical sensing is just the foundation. As we integrate radar, radio frequency and other advanced sensors, Orbital Guardians will evolve into America’s early-warning system for space, providing the clarity, speed and resilience needed to stay ahead of emerging threats.
From low earth orbit to the far side of the moon, it will see what others miss and help protect the vital infrastructure that modern life and national security depend on.
If China moves a satellite close to ours to test an attack, we will see it. If Russia jams a system in geostationary orbit, we catch it. If a threat emerges from cislunar space, we’re not in the dark.
By implementing Orbital Guardians within a government-owned platform, the U.S. can integrate and leverage all terrestrial and space-based sensors to create a layered, resilient and persistent view of the space domain. It would deliver space dominance much like radar provides air dominance today.
The clock is ticking
The threats are real. America’s window to act is closing.
Under President Trump’s leadership, we saw the birth of the Space Force and a renewed focus on space superiority. Now it’s time to finish the job. By deploying Orbital Guardians and fully funding the Golden Dome, America can protect its future and win the next war before the first shot is fired.
This is how Mr. Trump cements his space legacy: The Golden Dome is the shield, and Orbital Guardians are the eyes. Mr. Trump can deliver both.
• Holly Bertrand is chief operating officer for ExoAnalytic Solutions.
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