Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its partners are taking the lead in the fight for a key part of President Donald Trump’s anti-missile shield called the “Golden Dome.”
This was reported by Reuters, citing six sources familiar with the situation.
SpaceX is partnering with software maker Palantir and drone developer Anduril. Notably, all three companies were founded by Trump supporters.
According to the agency, the decision-making process for the “Golden Dome” is at an early stage, and both the composition of the participants and the structure of the project may change.
According to the preliminary plan, the companies intend to launch from 400 to 1,000 satellites into orbit to detect missiles. Additionally, about 200 combat satellites with missiles or lasers that will shoot down detected threats. At the same time, according to the sources, SpaceX will most likely not participate in arming the satellites.
The Pentagon declined to answer specific questions from Reuters, saying only that it would present options to the president “within the executive order and timeline set by the White House.”
SpaceX has proposed defining its role in the project as a “subscription service,” meaning the government would pay for access to the technology but would not own it. Such a model, according to two sources, could bypass some of the Pentagon’s procurement formalities and speed up the deployment of the system. But it also carries risks: the government could lose control over the project’s development and pricing.
The Pentagon has already expressed concerns about such an approach. A subscription model would be unusual for such a large-scale defense initiative.
Other potential participants include major contractors such as Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and RTX. In total, more than 180 companies have expressed interest in the program.
Բաժանորդագրվեք մեր ալիքին Telegram-ում
