Elon Musk’s SpaceX is frontrunner to construct Trump’s Golden Dome missile defend

Elon Musk’s SpaceX and two companions have emerged as frontrunners to win a vital a part of President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile protection defend, six individuals aware of the matter stated.

Musk’s rocket and satellite tv for pc firm is partnering with software program maker Palantir and drone builder Anduril on a bid to construct key components of Golden Dome, the sources stated, which has drawn important curiosity from the know-how sector’s burgeoning base of protection startups.

In his January 27 government order, Trump cited a missile assault as “probably the most catastrophic risk going through the USA.” All three corporations had been based by entrepreneurs who’ve been main political supporters of Trump. Musk has donated greater than 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars} to assist elect Trump, and now serves as a particular adviser to the president working to chop authorities spending via his Division of Authorities Effectivity. Regardless of the Pentagon’s optimistic indicators to the SpaceX group, some sources careworn the choice course of for Trump’s Golden Dome is in its early levels. Its final construction and who is chosen to work on it may change dramatically within the coming months.

The three corporations met with high officers within the Trump administration and the Pentagon in latest weeks to pitch their plan, which might construct and launch 400 to greater than 1,000 satellites circling the globe to sense missiles and monitor their motion, sources stated.

A separate fleet of 200 assault satellites armed with missiles or lasers would then carry enemy missiles down, three of the sources stated. The SpaceX group shouldn’t be anticipated to be concerned within the weaponization of satellites, these sources stated.

One of many sources aware of the talks described them as “a departure from the standard acquisition course of. There’s an perspective that the nationwide safety and protection group must be delicate and deferential to Elon Musk due to his position within the authorities.”

SpaceX and Musk have declined to touch upon whether or not Musk is concerned in any of the discussions or negotiations involving federal contracts along with his companies.

The Pentagon didn’t reply to detailed questions from Reuters, solely saying it’s going to ship “choices to the President for his determination according to the chief order and in alignment with White Home steerage and timelines.”

The White Home, SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril additionally didn’t reply to questions. After publication, Musk replied to a submit about Reuters’ story on his social community X with out elaborating: “This isn’t true.”

In an uncommon twist, SpaceX has proposed establishing its position in Golden Dome as a “subscription service” by which the federal government would pay for entry to the know-how, quite than personal the system outright.

The subscription mannequin, which has not been beforehand reported, may skirt some Pentagon procurement protocols permitting the system to be rolled out sooner, the 2 sources stated. Whereas the method wouldn’t violate any guidelines, the federal government could then be locked right into a subscription and lose management over its ongoing improvement and pricing, they added.

Some Pentagon officers have expressed issues internally about counting on the subscription-based mannequin for any a part of the Golden Dome, two sources instructed Reuters. Such an association could be uncommon for such a big and important protection program.

U.S. House Power Common Michael Guetlein has been in talks on whether or not SpaceX ought to be the proprietor and operator of its a part of the system, the 2 sources stated. Different choices embrace having the U.S. personal and function the system, or having the U.S. personal it whereas contractors deal with operations. Guetlein didn’t reply to a request for remark. Retired Air Power Common Terrence O’Shaughnessy, a high SpaceX advisor to Musk, has been concerned within the firm’s latest discussions with senior protection and intelligence leaders, the 2 sources stated. O’Shaughnessy didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Ought to the group led by SpaceX win a Golden Dome contract, it might be the largest win for Silicon Valley within the profitable protection contracting business and a blow to the normal contractors.

Nevertheless, these long-standing contractors, akin to Northrop Grumman, Boeing and RTX are anticipated to be huge gamers within the course of as properly, individuals aware of the businesses stated. Lockheed Martin put up a webpage as part of its advertising and marketing efforts.

The Pentagon has obtained curiosity from greater than 180 corporations eager to assist develop and construct the Golden Dome, in line with a U.S. official, together with protection startups like Epirus, Ursa Main and Armada. Members of the White Home’s Nationwide Safety Council had been briefed by a handful of corporations about their capabilities, 4 sources stated.

The Pentagon’s quantity two, former personal fairness investor Steve Feinberg, will probably be a key decision-maker for Golden Dome, two U.S. protection officers stated.

Feinberg co-founded Cerberus Capital Administration which has invested within the cutting-edge hypersonic missiles business however not in SpaceX. Feinberg, who didn’t reply to a request for remark, has stated he would divest of all his pursuits in Cerberus when he joined the administration.

Some specialists imagine the general value for Golden Dome may attain lots of of billions of {dollars}. The Pentagon established a number of timelines for capabilities to be delivered beginning with early 2026 to these delivered after 2030.

Laura Grego, analysis director on the nonprofit Union of Involved Scientists, questioned the feasibility of such a protection system on condition that a number of research have concluded it’s a “dangerous thought, costly and weak.”

“Such a system may very well be overwhelmed by launching a number of weapons on the similar time, pushing the required measurement of the protection to very giant numbers – doubtlessly within the tens of 1000’s of satellites,” Grego stated. SpaceX is pitching for the a part of the Golden Dome initiative referred to as the “custody layer,” a constellation of satellites that may detect missiles, monitor their trajectory, and decide if they’re heading towards the U.S., in line with two sources aware of SpaceX’s targets.

SpaceX has estimated the preliminary engineering and design work for the custody layer of satellites would value between $6 billion and $10 billion, two of the sources stated. Within the final 5 years, SpaceX has launched lots of of operational spy satellites and extra not too long ago a number of prototypes, which may very well be retrofitted for use for the mission, the sources stated.

Reuters reviewed an inside Pentagon memo from Protection Secretary Peter Hegseth issued shortly earlier than a February 28 deadline to senior Pentagon management asking them for preliminary Golden Dome proposals and calling for the “acceleration of the deployment” of constellations of satellites.

The timeframe may give SpaceX a bonus due to its fleet of rockets, together with the Falcon 9, and present satellites that may very well be repurposed for the missile protection defend, the individuals aware of the plan stated.

Regardless of these benefits, a few of these aware of the discussions stated it was unsure whether or not the SpaceX group would be capable to effectively arrange a system with new know-how in an economical method that may shield the USA from assault.

“It stays to be seen whether or not SpaceX and these tech corporations will be capable to pull any of this off,” stated one of many sources. “They’ve by no means needed to ship on a complete system that the nation might want to depend on for its protection.”

Individually, some Democrats in Congress expressed concern about Musk’s bidding on federal contracts whereas serving within the White Home.

“When the richest man on the planet can change into a Particular Authorities Worker and exert affect over the circulate of billions of {dollars} of taxpayer cash in authorities contracts to his corporations, that’s a significant issue,” stated U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Armed Companies Committee.

Shaheen has launched new laws that may stop federal contracts from being issued to corporations owned by any particular authorities worker like Musk.

U.S. Rep. Donald Beyer, D-Va, instructed Reuters he was additionally involved about SpaceX’s position given Musk’s unprecedented “inside entry to personal data and knowledge.”

“Any contracts awarded to him, or his corporations, are suspicious,” he stated.