Donald Trump's $175 Billion Golden Dome Could Trigger A New Space Arms Race, Expert Warns: '...It's Opening A Pandora's Box'

U.S. President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defense system could usher in a new era of space-based weaponry.

What Happened: The Trump administration's Golden Dome could provoke other states to employ similar systems in space and fast-track the militarization of space, experts suggest in a report published by Reuters on Thursday.

"I think it’s opening a Pandora’s box. We haven’t truly thought about the long-term consequences for doing so,” an expert cited in the report said.

Experts aren't the only ones expressing concerns as a spokesperson for the Kremlin suggested that developing such a system could trigger talks about nuclear arms control between the U.S. and Russia in the foreseeable future, the report added.

Talks of an orbital defense system aren't new as former U.S. President Ronald Reagan had first suggested the idea in his initiative dubbed the "Star Wars" Program, which Reagan said would render Nuclear weapons Obsolete.

Trump administration's plans to revive talks of a space-based arsenal of weapons come alongside a growing number of states across the globe increasing their nuclear capabilities.

Why It Matters: Several of the U.S. top tech and defense companies are pitching to work closely with the Trump administration to develop the Golden Dome defense system. Reports suggest that Elon Musk's SpaceX as well as Peter Thiel’s Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR, have emerged as frontrunners in the project.

Defense contractor L3 Harris Technologies, Inc. LHX has also emerged as a key player in the system's development and will manufacture satellites for the system. Investment bank Goldman Sachs says the company will be among the biggest corporate winners following the initiative.

However, Xi Jinping's CCP has expressed serious concerns about the project's development and has urged the Trump administration to reconsider the initiative as a whole.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said, "The United States, in pursuing a ‘U.S.-first' policy, is obsessed with seeking absolute security for itself. This violates the principle that the security of all countries should not be compromised."

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