The Trump administration is broadening its search for partners to build the Golden Dome missile defense system, looking beyond SpaceX to companies like Amazon’s Project Kuiper and traditional defense contractors, as the relationship between President Trump and Elon Musk grows increasingly strained.
Reuters reports that the Trump administration is making a strategic shift in its approach to building the $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense shield. As tensions between President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk continue to escalate, the Pentagon and White House are actively exploring alternatives to SpaceX’s dominance in the program, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield satellite networks have been central to U.S. military communications thus far. However, officials are now wary of over-relying on a single partner, especially given the recent public falling-out between Trump and Musk.
The administration is reaching out to new players, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which has launched just 78 of its planned 3,000 low-earth orbit satellites. The Pentagon’s interest in integrating commercial tech firms like Kuiper into national defense infrastructure signals a willingness to look beyond traditional defense contractors.
While SpaceX remains a frontrunner due to its unmatched launch capabilities and experience, its share of the program could diminish. The Pentagon is also engaging with new entrants such as rocket companies Stoke Space and Rocket Lab, which are gaining traction and will be able to bid on individual launches as Golden Dome matures.
Traditional defense giants Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris are also in talks to support the project. L3Harris has seen a surge in interest in its missile warning and tracking technologies, while Northrop is pursuing efforts like a space-based interceptor. Lockheed Martin has expressed its readiness to serve as a proven mission partner.
The move may in part be motivated by Musk’s threat to cripple America’s capabilities in space as part of his betrayal of President Trump. Involving SpaceX in his personal animosity towards Trump, Musk threatened to decommission the Dragon spacecraft.
As Breitbart News previously reported:
In a stunning escalation of the war of words between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on Thursday, the SpaceX tycoon announced that the company would begin “decommissioning” its Dragon spacecraft “immediately,” a threat to America’s space launch capabilities fueled by his personal animosity for the President. Musk later walked back the threat.
…Elon Musk’s threat to “decommission” the Dragon spacecraft, which is currently the only U.S. option for transporting crew to and from the International Space Station (ISS), was met with concern from the space community. However, just hours after his initial announcement, Musk reversed course, stating, “Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” in response to a user on his social media platform X who urged him to “cool off and take a step back for a couple days.”
This has reshaped the playing field for smaller, newer Silicon Valley firms with close ties to Trump, such as Palantir and Anduril, which were considered early frontrunners for significant pieces of the project.
Under a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, newly confirmed Space Force General Michael Guetlein has strict timelines to build a team, deliver an initial system design, and present a full implementation plan for Golden Dome. The inclusion of commercial platforms like Kuiper raises security concerns, as the satellites would need to be hardened against cyberattacks and electronic warfare.
Read more at Reuters here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
