Investing.com -- SpaceX, Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR), and Anduril have emerged as frontrunners to build a core part of President Donald Trump’s proposed "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, according to a report from Reuters.
The three companies are reportedly collaborating on a bid to construct and launch hundreds of satellites that would detect and track incoming missiles, Reuters said, citing six people familiar with the matter.
The system could include 400 to over 1,000 tracking satellites, as well as a separate fleet of 200 attack satellites armed with missiles or lasers.
However, the SpaceX group is not expected to be involved in the weaponization phase, the report said.
The Pentagon’s decision-making process remains in early stages, and the structure of the final project could change, Reuters noted.
Still, the alliance is said to have gained momentum, helped by the companies’ close ties to Trump.
SpaceX is reportedly pitching the system as a "subscription service," in which the U.S. government would pay for access rather than own the hardware outright —a move Reuters described as an “unusual twist.”
That model has raised concerns within the Pentagon, with officials wary of relinquishing long-term control, Reuters said.
The Pentagon has received interest from more than 180 companies for the project, including traditional defense contractors like Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC), Boeing (NYSE:BA), and RTX.
While SpaceX’s speed and existing satellite network could offer an edge, one source told Reuters, “It remains to be seen whether SpaceX and these tech companies will be able to pull any of this off.”