Elon Musk’s SpaceX could win a lucrative contract to help Donald Trump build a “golden dome” missile shield to protect America.
Experts warn the controversial project could cost at least half a trillion dollars and run the risk of starting an arms race in space.
But the plan, inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, has already come under fire after Musk emerged as a frontrunner to help fulfill the president’s golden ambitions.
CNN reported that the Tesla chief made approaches to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss a role in the project. And earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that he could partner with software maker Palantir and drone builder Anduril for a role – a claim Musk later denied.
Despite acknowledging that no one had asked him to build an anti-missile defense system, the president on Tuesday unveiled a plan to spend $25 billion to kickstart the project, insisting it could take only three years to complete – far less time and money than the $524 billion price tag and 20 year-time frame estimated by the independent Congressional budget office.
While Trump did not name Musk, he said the project would be a bonanza for American companies and involve “the brightest minds” from Silicon Valley.
He also announced that Space Force General Michael Guetlein would be the lead program manager for the “very exciting project” that he admits no one in the industry asked for.
“I suggested it, and they all said: we love the idea, sir,” Trump said. “That’s the way it’s got to be, right?”
He said Space Force General Michael Guetlein would be the lead program manager for the “very exciting project” that he admits no one in the industry asked for.
Musk’s potential involvement has prompted 42 Democrats – including Elizabeth Warren, Corey Booker, and Tammy Duckworth – to write to the Pentagon inspector general urging him to investigate.
“Mr. Musk’s formal or informal participation in any process to award a government contract raises serious conflict of interest concerns, including the possibility that SpaceX is a top contender for the Golden Dome contract because of Mr. Musk’s position in the government,” they wrote.
Trump insists his so-called “Golden Dome for America” will cost about $ 175 million overall. It is designed to defend against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks.
The Golden Dome has been compared to former Republican President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative – a research program that aimed to protect the U.S. from a large-scale nuclear attack but ultimately failed because of high costs, technology constraints, and fears of an armed space race.
“To build a system over the entire country would be incredibly hard, and we’re not sure it’s going to work,” retired NASA astronaut-turned Senator Mark Kelly warned at a recent security summit hosted by Politico.
Also at the summit was Space Force’s chief of space operations, General Chance Saltzman, who said, when asked if the $542 billion estimate was too high: “I’m 34 years in this business; I’ve never seen an early estimate that was too high. My gut tells me there’s going to be some additional funding that’s necessary.”
Trump, however, remains undeterred.
“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate the existing defense capabilities and be fully operational by the end of my term,” Trump said.
“Once fully constructed, the golden dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world and even if they are launched from space.”
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