In addition to the contracts for the construction and operation of the Golden Dome missile defense system, it appears to want to leave the richest man in the world and … his former partner, as according to a report by Reuters, the Trump government has begun considering cooperation with the project with the project.
The displacement, which was revealed to Reuters, three sources with knowledge of talks, marks a strategic turn away from the dependence of Government programs on Musk’s SpaceX programs, whose Starlink and Starshield satellites have become central to US military communications. This comes in the midst of a deteriorating relationship between Trump and Musk, which took on public on June 5, when the two men’s rupture was reached.
They were looking for a long time for alternatives
Even before that, however, Pentagon and White House officials had begun to investigate alternatives for SpaceX, as they were doubtful about excessive dependence on a single partner for huge sections of the $ 175 -billion -stricken shield. SpaceX did not respond to Reuters requests for commentary. Responding to a post on an article on the X agency, Musk wrote: “Federal acquisition regulations require the use of the best provider at the best price. Anything else would be a violation of the law. “
Due to its size, the historical launch of more than 9,000 Starlink satellites and its experience in state supplies, SpaceX is still “ahead” in terms of the requirements of large Golden Dome sections, especially in launching, sources report.
Can Bezos’ project play a role?
In any case, the Pentagon has approached the Kuiper project to participate in the project, although only 78 low -track satellites have been launched by a designed flock of 3,000 satellites under the project. This move marks that the Trump government is open to the integration of commercial technology companies into the national defense infrastructure and the overcoming of traditional defense players.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s executive president, said in January that the Kuiper would be “mainly a commercial project”, but argued that “he would be existing and defense for these satellites”.
The Golden Dome “clicks” on the logic of Israel’s Iron Dome – the country’s famous anti -missile shield – but since it will be larger and more complex, with more “layers” requires a huge network of satellites in track to cover a larger area.
In search of more suppliers for the different Golden Dome satellites, “Kuiper is a big supplier,” said one US official. While SpaceX remains pioneer due to unparalleled launch potential, its share of the program could shrink, two people said. Officials have contacted smaller, rising “players”, such as Stoke Space and Rocket Lab missile companies, who are gaining ground and will be able to submit bids for individual launches as the program matures, according to an US official.
Later on the development of Golden Dome “every single launch will be bid and we must actually give offers to other people” other than SpaceX, the official said.
US invests huge amounts in satellites
The above shows that there is an urgent need for more satellite production. Last year, Congress gave budget to the $ 13 billion space force – from $ 900 million before – to buy satellite communications services, which was widely considered one of the many initiatives to stimulate satellite production.
Amazon’s project Kuiper, an initiative of $ 10 billion, led by former Starlink managers, whom Musk had fired due to slow progress in their issues, said Reuters, left behind SpaceX. However, the possible defensive applications that Bezos’ initiative could have – such as communications that could help monitor rockets – have attracted interest, as the government is preparing to allocate the first $ 25 billion funds package.
They take the companies one by one
Traditional defense technology giants, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and L3Harris are also in talks to contribute to the development of the Golden Dome. L3HARIS chief financial director Kenneth Bedingfilt told Reuters that the company observes that there is an increased interest in rocket warning and monitoring technologies, which are expected to play a key role in the system.
In the meantime, Northrop has various “running” programs, including a space of interception, which, if reality, could make the missile attacks possible. This is at least alleged to have said in an interview with Reuters by Robert Fleming, head of the company’s space section.
“Lockheed Martin is ready to support the Golden Dome as a reliable partner has proven to be,” said Robert Litfut, president of Lockheed Martin Space. Initial discussions about the Golden Dome this spring were part of smaller, younger Silicon Valley companies considered more flexible, more innovative and possibly less expensive alternatives than large defensive companies – but this happened before the Musk and Trump dispute. Many of them, such as Palantir and Anduril, maintain close ties with Trump and were thought to be at the top of the list to take the lion’s share of $ 175 billion.
But the counter came between Musk and Trump to change this landscape. Musk recently founded the “America Party”, a technology -focused, central political movement that aims to politically eradicate Republicans who supported the Trump Bill on Taxation and Expenditure.
The Trump government wants to close the Golden Dome issue directly
Trump began preparing the Golden Dome initiative just a week after taking over the presidency for the second time, pushing his development to be a priority. The General of the Space Michael Gutlin, who received the green light from the Senate on July 17, is the head of this program but with expanded powers.
According to a formerly unknown directive of Defense Minister Pitt Hessgue, the General has 30 days after his Senate examination to build a team for the program, 60 days to deliver an initial system design and 120 days to present a complete implementation plan, including all details, including Related Directive.
Hours after the publication of the Reuters article, the Pentagon issued a press release confirming that an architecture for the Golden Dome would “grow within the next 60 days”. The participation of trade projects such as Kuiper raises security concerns. Its satellites should be strengthened against cyberattacks and electronic warfare, a challenge that has even been concerned with SpaceX’s Starlink network. In May 2024, Ilon Musk said SpaceX spends “important resources to combat Russian interference efforts. This is a difficult problem. ” In addition to technical and political challenges, the Golden Dome could reshape the dynamics of world security. A fully functional spacecraft shield can push opponents to develop new aggressive potential or accelerate the militarization of space.
Nevertheless, big defense industry companies such as Lockheed and RTX, formerly Raytheon, will probably be the first on the contract list. RTX executives, manufacturer of the Patriot missile system, have said they believe that the system will be an integral part of the Golden Dome “especially if they want to have results in the next 2 – 3 years”.
