Elon Musk in hush talks with Trump's Pentagon to land $10B ‘Golden Dome’ missile system for SpaceX
WASHINGTON, DC: Elon Musk reportedly has his sights set on a $10 billion mega-contract to build President Donald Trump’s much-hyped “Golden Dome.”
The proposed system is modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome, a high-tech barrier that knocks out rockets mid-air. President Trump has called incoming missile attacks “the most catastrophic” danger the US faces. Now, his missile shield fantasy might just become a reality - with Musk steering the ship.
Trump's power squad of bigwig supporters including Elon Musk
Elon Musk isn’t going it alone. SpaceX has teamed up with two other Trump-connected players in a hush-hush defense supergroup.
This includes Anduril, the buzzy defense startup with Peter Thiel as a major investor, and Palantir, Thiel’s data-crunching giant that’s already knee-deep in government contracts. Together, this trio is gunning hard for that $10 billion jackpot.
According to the Daily Beast, the whole thing is still flying mostly under the radar. But the cat got out of the bag thanks to Reuters, which revealed that SpaceX reps have been cozying up with Pentagon officials and laying out their vision for the dome.
Their pitch reportedly includes a plan to launch a swarm of up to 1,000 satellites into orbit to sniff out missile threats before they even reach US airspace. But just the design and early engineering could run Uncle Sam up to $10 billion, according to Reuters.
Lasers, missiles, and subscription model to Pentagon?
The plan gets even more sci-fi. That satellite fleet would tag-team with a second set of satellites armed with missiles and lasers to shoot down threats in real time.
But SpaceX isn’t bidding for the weaponized part. They’re sticking to the eyes-in-the-sky piece of the puzzle.
Furthermore, SpaceX is reportedly pitching a “subscription” model to the Pentagon. Instead of the government owning the satellites, they’d pay Musk and friends for ongoing access. Musk and Thiel argue that this setup would dodge the slow, red-tape-riddled procurement system they’ve slammed as “sclerotic.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has criticized it, too.
But not everyone’s on board with the rent-a-satellite idea. According to two insiders, there are concerns within the government over the pay-as-you-go structure.
High stakes, higher drama
There’s a big debate raging over who should own and operate the system.
According to two sources, Space Force General Michael Guetlein has been in deep discussions about whether SpaceX should take charge of both the ownership and the operations.
There are other options on the table. The government could own and operate the whole shebang itself, or keep ownership but outsource the day-to-day work to a contractor. Meanwhile, legacy defense juggernauts aren’t taking this lying down. Lockheed Martin has even launched a gold-colored website to promote its version of the dome.
Sources say the bidding frenzy is heating up with Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and RTX (formerly Raytheon) all elbowing in for a slice of the dome action.
The Musk-Trump factor
It's worth noting that Musk isn’t just a bidder - he’s Trump’s guy. After donating over $250 million to boost Trump’s election effort, Musk landed himself the title of head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) - a wink to his beloved meme coin.
According to Reuters, the behind-closed-doors Pentagon meetings with Musk’s team are raising eyebrows because they’re way outside normal procedure. One official even spilled that staff felt they had to be “sensitive and deferential” due to Musk’s cozy ties with the president.
Still, some sources warn that nothing’s final yet. The decision-making process for the Golden Dome is still in its early stages and the final outcome could shift dramatically in the coming months.
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