Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will imminently brief President Trump on small, medium, and large-scale options for the Golden Dome missile defense initiative.
• SpaceX has emerged as the leading contender to build a satellite network for missile detection and tracking, alongside partners Palantir and Anduril.
• The SpaceX-led proposal includes 400–1,000 tracking satellites and 200 attack satellites, with an estimated initial development cost of $6–10 billion.
• A novel subscription-based model has been proposed by SpaceX, allowing the U.S. government to access the system without outright ownership, raising concerns about long-term costs and control.
• The Golden Dome program, modeled after Israel's Iron Dome, aims to address threats from ballistic missiles, drones, and hypersonic weapons but faces skepticism over feasibility, costs, and timeline.