Elon Musk’s SpaceX, alongside Palantir and drone-maker Anduril, is leading a high-stakes bid to build the backbone of the U.S. Golden Dome missile defense system, a sweeping national security initiative driven by President Donald Trump’s executive order to guard against catastrophic missile threats.
The trio’s proposal aims to deploy 400 to over 1,000 satellites for global missile detection and tracking, with a separate fleet of 200 attack satellites potentially equipped with lasers or missiles. Though SpaceX is not slated to weaponize satellites directly, its role would anchor the “custody layer”—a system to identify, track, and evaluate missile threats using existing and new orbital assets.
The bid introduces a controversial “subscription service” model where the U.S. would pay for access rather than owning the technology, bypassing conventional procurement rules. Pentagon insiders are divided over the approach, citing potential risks in development control and long-term costs.
SpaceX’s existing infrastructure, including the Falcon 9 and a fleet of reconnaissance satellites, positions it as a fast-moving contender. Estimated engineering costs for the custody layer run between $6 billion and $10 billion. However, the feasibility and cost-efficiency of scaling to a reliable national defense system remain in question.
Tech entrepreneurs behind the three companies are known Trump allies, raising scrutiny about political ties and insider influence. Musk’s dual role as a special adviser and federal contract contender has drawn legislative backlash, with lawmakers proposing new restrictions on such overlapping roles.
More than 180 companies have expressed interest in the Golden Dome project, but the SpaceX-led bid could signal a paradigm shift, bringing Silicon Valley deeper into U.S. defense infrastructure and raising questions about the future of public-private defense collaborations.
Source: Swifteradio.com
