Forty Years of Space-Based Defence: What History Teaches
Has the United States tried this before, and what happened?
Chapter summary
SDI and Brilliant Pebbles were cancelled in 1993; space-based warning has served continuously since the 1970s. Golden Dome inherits both lineages.
Key takeaways
- 1
Brilliant Pebbles argued for proliferation, boost-phase intercept and mass production, the same case as today.
- 2
SBIRS delays led to the Space Development Agency's tranche model in 2019.
- 3
The sensing lineage outlasted the politics; interceptors rose and fell with administrations.
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