Topics: Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un, Space, US News, World News, North Korea, China, Elon Musk
North Korea has condemned Donald Trump's $175 billion Golden Dome project by threatening to 'turn outer space into a potential nuclear war field'.
On May 20, President Donald Trump revealed his plans for a $175 billion 'Golden Dome' missile defense program while speaking to reporters from the Oval Office in the White House.
The goal of the program is to help the US to intercept missiles, 'even if they are launched from space'.
And - shockingly - the news hasn't gone down too well with some other countries, with North Korea even going so far as to warn it could 'turn outer space into a potential nuclear war field'.
Advert
China and Russia have already put offensive weapons in space - including satellites that can disable critical US satellites - meaning the US is subsequently vulnerable to attack.
And following warnings from the Pentagon that updating countermeasures is a much-needed step, Trump decided to do something about it.
Essentially, the Golden Dome program is set to strengthen the US' ability to detect and stop missiles at four specific stages of a missiles' launch and journey:
General Chance Saltzman, head of the US Space Force, said the Golden Dome and its weapons 'represent new and emerging requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations'.
And North Korea isn't exactly happy about the plan, with the controversial country speaking out earlier today (May 27).
Pyongyang's foreign ministry told the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in a statement shared with AFP that the program is 'very dangerous', before accusing it of 'threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons state'.
The foreign ministry accused the US of being 'hell-bent on the moves to militarize outer space'.
It resolved: "The US plan for building a new missile defense system is the root cause of sparking off global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning [...] outer space into a potential nuclear war field."
And Trump certainly isn't messing around when it comes to how long he hopes it'll take to execute his plans for the Golden Dome.
Trump's presidency is set to come to an end in 2029 - as long as he doesn't try and find a loophole to run for a third time that is - and he's said hopes the Golden Dome will be 'fully operational before the end of [his] term'.
The president also detailed an initial spend of $25 billion to begin work on the program, the system reported as being set to cost $175 billion to create - and it could cost the US an even heftier amount in the long-run.
With medium, high and 'extra high' choices for developing options within the program, an official said as reported by PA News Agency, the differences between the three options would essentially depend on how many satellites, sensors, and space-based interceptors are bought.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that space-based components of the program alone could cost as much as $542 billion over the next 20 years.
Although, newly confirmed Air Force Secretary Troy Meink noted to senators there's not actually any money currently available for the project yet with the Golden Dome 'still in the conceptual stage'.
And where Trump goes, Musk always follows it would seem, the Tesla CEO reportedly potentially ending up involved in the Golden Dome too.
'Six people familiar with the matter' told Reuters that Musk's SpaceX alongside two partners are 'frontrunners' to help build the program.
Representatives of SpaceX alongside software maker Palantir and drone builder Anduril reportedly met with Trump administration officials alongside the Pentagon to make their pitch.
The pitch? To build and launch between 400-1,000 satellites around the globe to detect missiles alongside another 200 armed with missiles or lasers themselves to stop enemy missiles.
And it's not only North Korea which has spoken out against the Golden Dome but China too.
Not long after Trump's announcement of the program, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning issued a warning, echoing that of North Korea by noting the dome increases the risk of outer space becoming militarized.
The spokesperson said: "The United States, in pursuing a 'US-first' policy, is obsessed with seeking absolute security for itself. This violates the principle that the security of all countries should not be compromised and undermines global strategic balance and stability. China is seriously concerned about this."
Mao ultimately urged Washington to ditch the development of the Golden Dome altogether.
