SpaceX reportedly lands $2 billion contract for US Golden Dome

SpaceX is reportedly set to obtain an enormous $2 billion contract from the U.S. authorities to develop a brand new array of navy satellites, in keeping with the Wall Street Journal. This funding is particularly earmarked for constructing as much as 600 satellites able to monitoring each missiles and plane.

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These new belongings shall be deployed in assist of President Trump’s proposed defence initiative, dubbed the “Golden Dome” challenge. Announced in May, the Golden Dome is envisioned as an anti-missile defence system—paying homage to Israel’s Iron Dome—designed to intercept and neutralize missile assaults earlier than they will attain their supposed targets.

Considering the ambition of the initiative, SpaceX’s reported $2 billion contract could solely be one piece of a a lot bigger funding effort. The Trump administration has set an aggressive goal to finish the challenge earlier than the tip of the present presidential time period.

The improvement is anticipated to incorporate different main expertise companies as companions. The WSJ report means that firms like Anduril Industries and Palantir Technologies is also concerned in creating the subtle community needed for the Golden Dome to perform successfully.

Beyond the particular scope of the Golden Dome, the Pentagon can also be planning to considerably leverage SpaceX’s present, intensive satellite tv for pc infrastructure for different navy purposes.

The Department of Defence intends to make the most of the corporate’s huge community—which at present contains greater than 8,000 satellites for its business Starlink service—for important capabilities resembling navy communications and automobile monitoring. This demonstrates a broader strategic pivot by the Pentagon to depend on the dimensions and low-Earth orbit capabilities of economic satellite tv for pc suppliers to reinforce nationwide safety and reconnaissance.