Bloomberg reported on Aug. 7, citing people familiar with the matter, that the
Pentagon plans a first test of its under-construction 'Jinqiong' space-based
missile-defense system before year-end. In April the U.S. Space Force awarded
contracts to 12 firms, including SpaceX and Lockheed Martin, to develop
space-based interceptors; sources said the government is prepared to pay $60m to
Contractors if interceptor ground tests are successfully completed by year-end.
The Space Force expects to begin procuring systems from teams that pass final
tested from 2030.
