Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, conducted a hot fire test of a full-scale Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine combustor in fall 2023. Credit: NASA
By Sandra Erwin,
Published by Space News, 8 August 2025
NASA official says agency innovations in rocket propulsion, AI, and testing infrastructure could could support Golden Dome missile defense initiative
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is courting the Pentagon’s attention with a number of space technologies it says could support Golden Dome for America, the Defense Department’s ambitious plan for a satellite-enabled global missile shield.
“We feel like there are some symbiotic investments that NASA is making that are very relevant to Golden Dome,” said Jason Adam, director of the Human Exploration Development and Operations Office at Marshall, in remarks at the Space & Missile Defense Symposium Aug. 6.
Golden Dome is envisioned as a layered space-based missile defense system to detect and neutralize threats from long-range ballistic missiles to hypersonic and low-flying cruise missiles using a global network of sensors and space-based interceptors.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center could be a key technology partner for the Golden Dome program, Adam said.
Marshall, known for its deep expertise in rocketry and propulsion, is located in Huntsville — just a short drive from Redstone Arsenal, the hub for U.S. missile and space programs.
At the top of NASA’s pitch are next-generation propulsion systems. Adam highlighted NASA’s work on Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines (RDREs) — a propulsion concept that is maturing thanks to breakthroughs in materials and manufacturing. Unlike traditional rocket engines, RDREs utilize a supersonic combustion wave to ignite fuel and oxidizer, promising higher efficiency and smaller form factors.
RDREs are part of NASA’s toolkit for human spaceflight and exploration, but Adam suggested these compact, high-performance engines could be equally suited to missile-tracking satellites or even hypersonic interceptors envisioned in the Golden Dome constellation.
NASA has exploited 3D-printing and novel alloys to build RDREs in months, Adam said, adding that is remarkably fast compared to traditional engine development timelines which can stretch across multiple years.
Cryogenic fluid storage
Another potential crossover: cryogenic fluid management. The challenge of storing and transferring ultra-cold liquids like liquid hydrogen or liquid methane in space is central to deep-space exploration — but also critical for long-dwell, ready-to-launch military assets.
Long-term storage of high-energy propellants could support next-generation missiles and interceptors that have to be kept fueled and mission-ready for weeks or months, Adam said. He noted that NASA is already investing in cryogenic demonstration missions to mature this capability for lunar and Mars missions.
AI, inflatable structures, testbeds
Beyond propulsion and fuel, NASA Marshall is highlighting its work in AI-enabled mission management that is being pursued under its Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program. Adam said Marshall is using AI to automate the control and analysis of spacecraft payloads — techniques that could be translated to military constellations.
Then there’s the hardware itself: inflatable space structures, originally designed for use as habitats in orbit or on planetary surfaces. Adam said these expandable modules — lightweight and compact at launch, then inflated to full size in space — could be adapted for large surveillance arrays or sensor platforms, giving the military more volume with less mass.
Finally, Adam pointed to the center’s extensive test and evaluation infrastructure testing rocket engine components, subsystems, and full-scale engines. He said the facilities could be leveraged by DoD and its contractors to support the development and qualification of next-generation missile interceptors.
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