Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to secure a deal worth around $2 billion for U.S. President Donald Trump’s defense initiative, “Golden Dome.” The project is expected to involve the production of up to 600 satellites.
Massive $175 Billion Project
The “Golden Dome” program is designed as an advanced missile defense shield, incorporating satellites, interception systems, command-and-control infrastructure, and supporting technologies. Experts estimate the total cost to be at least $175 billion, with some projections suggesting it could be much higher. SpaceX’s $2 billion share represents only a small portion of this massive U.S. Defense Department program.
SpaceX is not expected to be the sole contractor. Other contributors include new tech companies such as Anduril Industries and Palantir Technologies, alongside defense giants like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris. Due to the scale and complexity of the project, both legislative and executive bodies are wary of relying on a single company. Florida Senator Rick Scott emphasized that the missile defense system should not depend on one firm. The Pentagon’s Defense Science Board also warned that single-supplier dependency could stifle innovation and raise costs.
Inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome
Trump’s defense initiative draws inspiration from Israel’s highly effective “Iron Dome” system but on a much larger scale. The Iron Dome is known to intercept rockets and mortars with roughly 90% success. The origins of Golden Dome trace back to the 1980s with President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), which aimed to protect against Soviet ballistic missiles using space-based lasers and advanced defense technologies. At the time, technology was not sufficiently advanced, and the project was shelved after the end of the Cold War.
Today, emerging threats like hypersonic missiles highlight the limitations of existing defense systems. Golden Dome is intended not just as a missile shield but as an integrated defense network spanning land, sea, space, and even cyberspace.
