SpaceX and two partners are considered frontrunners in constructing part of President Trump’s missile defense system.
Reuters reports that SpaceX is partnering with software company Palantir and defense technology company Anduril for the bid. The plan would involve the construction and launch of at least 400 satellites to track missiles around the globe. Another fleet of 200 attack missiles would shoot down enemy missiles, sources told the outlet.
One of the sources familiar with the matter said the discussions are “a departure from the usual acquisition process. There’s an attitude that the national security and defense community has to be sensitive and deferential to Elon Musk because of his role in the government.”
Reuters noted that SpaceX may establish its role in the defense project as a “subscription service.”
“It remains to be seen whether SpaceX and these tech companies will be able to pull any of this off,” a source added. “They’ve never had to deliver on an entire system that the nation will need to rely on for its defense.”
The development comes as President Trump signed an executive order in January to construct an Iron Dome for the United States.
“The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” the order said, calling for the U.S. to “provide for the common defense of its citizens and the Nation by deploying and maintaining a next-generation missile defense shield” as well as “deter — and defend its citizens and critical infrastructure against — any foreign aerial attack on the Homeland.”
