SpaceX gets $4 billion contract to build missile-tracking ‘Golden Dome’ satellites

The Pentagon awarded SpaceX a $4.16 billion contract to build sensor-equipped satellites for the planned Golden Dome missile defense system. The US Space Force says the satellites will detect and track targets from space, adding to SpaceX’s existing defense contracts tied to the program.

The deal deepens the US military’s reliance on commercial space providers for critical national security infrastructure. It also shows how space-based missile defense is becoming a major growth market, with SpaceX positioned as a central contractor in next-generation defense networks.

The Pentagon awarded SpaceX a $4.16 billion contract to build missile-tracking satellites linked with President Donald Trump's planned "Golden Dome" defense system, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. In an announcement on Friday, the US Space Force says the sensor-equipped satellites will allow it to detect and track targets from space. The Elon Musk-owned SpaceX - which recently filed for what could be the biggest initial public offering ever - already has contracts with the Space Force to develop other parts of the Golden Dome. Similar to Israel's Iron Dome, Trump's pricey defense system would identify and take down missiles and other airb … Read the full story at The Verge.