Brandon J. Weichert
Elon Musk is set to win a massive $2 billion contract from the United States Department of Defense to build out the orbital sensor network that will form the backbone of the proposed Golden Dome national missile defense system. Consisting of more than 600 satellites, the satellite component of the Golden Dome will be the eyes and ears for the system. Placed in orbit, these systems will do more than detect and track incoming ballistic missiles. They will be used to identify and alert American defense planners to any potential hypersonic weapons and even drone swarms.
No One Comes Close to SpaceX’s Satellite Capabilities
Initially, the Trump administration was attacked by the Democratic Party in Congress for handing the massive contract over to Musk. After all, Musk is a special adviser to the president. SpaceX, Musk’s firm, winning that contract would appear to be political cronyism. In July, shortly after the Trump administration announced the Golden Dome, it made it clear that it was looking at multiple potential contractors to build the satellite sensing network that would undergird the Golden Dome system, not just Musk. At that time, both Trump and Musk had a falling-out that made it easier for the Trump White House to make clear their intention to look elsewhere for the satellites of the proposed Golden Dome system.
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