According to reports, Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX is set to receive approximately $2 billion from the U.S. Department of Defense to support development of a component of Donald Trump’s new “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative. The funding will be used to build a large-scale satellite constellation designed to track and intercept missiles, drones, and other aerial threats. This contract is reportedly part of a broader defense package approved earlier this year under the Trump administration, though neither SpaceX nor the Pentagon has officially confirmed the agreement.
The project entails constructing an advanced satellite system—described as an airborne moving target indicator—comprising up to 600 satellites working in concert to detect and monitor threats in real time. Notably, SpaceX, which already operates the Starlink and Starshield satellite networks, will leverage its expertise in rocketry and satellite deployment to establish this new layer of space-based defense.
If confirmed, this would mark one of the largest single defense contracts in SpaceX’s history. Reports also indicate the company is under consideration for additional roles within the Golden Dome program, including the development of a secure military communications network and a ground-based vehicle tracking system.
Trump’s Golden Dome initiative, first unveiled in May 2025, aims to create a nationwide missile defense shield capable of protecting the United States from missiles, drones, and hypersonic weapons. The program is projected to cost $175 billion over three years and will integrate space-based sensors, interceptors, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. President Donald Trump has described it as a “Star Wars–style” shield that could render the U.S. nearly impervious to foreign threats by the end of the century.
This development comes as Elon Musk projected in June 2025 that SpaceX would generate roughly $15.5 billion in revenue during the year. Musk also stated that the company expects its income from private and commercial space ventures in 2025 to surpass that of NASA. Notably, SpaceX’s revenue in 2024 is estimated to have ranged between $12 billion and $13 billion, up from approximately $9 billion in 2023.
