The Trump administration is seeking new partners to implement the Golden dome project - a $175 billion missile defense system - to reduce its dependence on Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Although SpaceX is still leading in space launch with more than 9,000 Starlink satellites launched into orbit, White House and Pentagon officials have begun approaching other companies such as Amazon's Project Kuiper, Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, as well as traditional defense corporations such as lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and L3 Harris.
Project Kuiper - a 10-billion-dong initiative of Amazon - despite only launching 78 satellites, is still expected to play a role in expanding the satellite network for communication and missile tracking. However, integrating this commercial platform into a space defense system will pose security challenges, especially in terms of its ability to combat cyber attacks and electronic warfare.
Michael Guetlein - Commander of the Space Force - was given the project's command and has 120 days to present a full implementation plan, including satellite and ground station details.
SpaceX's gradual withdrawal has also changed the competitive landscape. Companies such as Palantir and Anduril - once potential candidates - now have to compete more fiercely as the project attracts attention from both large technology and defense corporations.
