White Paper: Space Innovation & Defense: Building the Golden Dome for America

ATARC Space Innovation and Defense Working Group | September 2025 

Highlights from a recent roundtable, hosted by the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC) Space Innovation & Defense Working Group, August 19, 2025. 

This whitepaper distills insights from the Space Innovation & Defense Roundtable, convened under Chatham House Rule. The conversation centered on the Golden Dome for America initiative, a vision to unify terrestrial and orbital defense systems into an interoperable architecture. Key stakeholders from government, industry, and research institutions examined foundational technologies, cultural and acquisition challenges, and workforce development needs. This paper provides a synthesized view of the challenges and opportunities for achieving resilience in U.S. space defense.