{"id":541657,"date":"2025-11-01T08:30:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T08:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/541657\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T08:30:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T08:30:31","slug":"elon-musk-is-landing-a-2b-space-contract-from-trumps-white-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/541657\/","title":{"rendered":"Elon Musk Is Landing a $2B Space Contract From Trump\u2019s White House"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elon Musk<\/a> appears to be in line for a $2 billion of government work<\/a> for President Donald Trump\u2019s Golden Dome defense project.<\/p>\n

His SpaceX firm<\/a> is set to win the massive project to develop and build the missile- and aircraft-tracking satellites, according to people briefed on the plan.<\/p>\n

\"Elon<\/p>\n

Elon Musk and Trump, pictured in May, appear to have finally patched things up after their dramatic falling out. \/ Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Trump, 79, unveiled his chosen design on May 20 alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, 45, in the Oval Office, when there was anger<\/a> at suggestions it would go to Musk\u2019s space company.<\/p>\n

It is now being reported that this is precisely what is happening. According to The Wall Street Journal<\/a>, Musk, 54\u2014the SpaceX founder, CEO, and chairman\u2014is set to anchor an \u201cair moving target indicator\u201d network that could eventually reach approximately 600 satellites.<\/p>\n

The money for the project had been included in Trump\u2019s July tax-and-spend package but was not publicly tied to a specific contractor. The Pentagon has not formally awarded Golden Dome work while it finalizes spending lines, according to the Journal.<\/p>\n

The Golden Dome program\u2014priced by Trump at $175 billion\u2014aims to detect, track, and intercept inbound missiles. Experts warn the project could cost at least half a trillion dollars and run the risk of starting an arms race in space.<\/p>\n

In August, it was reported that the White House<\/a> wanted the first high-profile Golden Dome tests to be conducted in the weeks leading up to the November 2028 election, part of Trump\u2019s desire for a visible \u201cwin\u201d on a politically explosive schedule, a timeline a defense official described as \u201ctechnically very risky.\u201d<\/p>\n

People familiar with the matter told the Journal that SpaceX is also positioned for two other jobs. They are Milnet, a secure relay for sensitive military communications, and a ground-targeting network to track vehicles.<\/p>\n

\"Elon<\/p>\n

Elon Musk at SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas. \/ Marvin Joseph\/The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re relying on is industry to help us innovate by showing us the art of the possible\u2014bringing ideas to us,\u201d U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, 56, said, according to the Journal.<\/p>\n

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, 61, has likewise told investors the company would prioritize U.S. needs in conflict, the paper reported.<\/p>\n

Officials have warned against \u201cvendor lock,\u201d where overreliance on a single firm can hinder innovation and increase costs. A Pentagon Defense Science Board study<\/a> last year urged broader commercial participation\u2014and guardrails on data and access.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration had been exploring alternatives<\/a> as tensions between the president and Musk flared over the summer, courting Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper and legacy primes.<\/p>\n

\"Trump<\/p>\n

Trump and Musk publicly made up during the public memorial service for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in September. \/ Charly Triballeau\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

SpaceX\u2019s speed is its advantage. The company says it has launched more than 10,000 Starlink satellites<\/a>, giving it unmatched manufacturing and launch cadence.<\/p>\n

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to discuss architecture choices with the Journal, citing pre-decisional deliberations.<\/p>\n

The Daily Beast has contacted SpaceX, the Pentagon, and the White House for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Elon Musk appears to be in line for a $2 billion of government work for President Donald Trump\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":541658,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3844],"tags":[295,17982,8723,602,6202,70,413,1603,16,15,36135,1018],"class_list":{"0":"post-541657","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-elon-musk","9":"tag-golden-dome","10":"tag-pentagon","11":"tag-pete-hegseth","12":"tag-president-donald-trump","13":"tag-science","14":"tag-space","15":"tag-spacex","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-wall-street-journal","19":"tag-white-house"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115473510376000545","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/541658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}