: In April 2026, the U.S. Space Force awarded contracts to 12 companies —including SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman—to begin work on space-based interceptors [18, 20]. 3. Geology
: These are formed specifically when thick lava hardens directly over a volcanic vent [10].
: It aims to protect the U.S. homeland against hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles , as well as next-generation aerial weapons [1, 29].
: These can form as "laccoliths," where hardened magma creates a triangle or dome shape between sedimentary rock layers [10].
In nature, a geologic dome is a curved formation created when magma pushes up surface rock layers without breaking through [10].