The proposed fiscal year 2026 budget lays out an enormous amount of money for space-based initiatives, effectively increasing the Space Force budget by nearly 40 percent, according to a new analysis by Aerospace's Center for Space Policy and Strategy.

While the amount appropriated for the Space Force budget ($26.3B) amounts to a 9 percent cut, Congress assigned billions more via reconciliation that the branch will be responsible for spending. Depending on how it is accounted for (this year's budget process was particularly complex), this represents as much as a 40 percent increase over the 2025 budget.

So what's it all for?

While the specifics are yet to be announced, it's clear that the bulk of the proposed spending is going under the Golden Dome for America umbrella.

As Aerospace's Sam Wilson described it to Payload: "I think Golden Dome is the central story of the budget for defense. This is a signature effort guiding how they’re approaching national security, and there is a heavy focus on space within that."

Billions are earmarked for the categories of pre- and post-launch threat tracking, ground-based infrastructure, and space-based missile intercept systems. The specifics will have to wait until the Space Force's Gen. Gutlein, who is leading the initiative, announces them later this year.