Musk's SpaceX is frontrunner to build Trump's Golden Dome missile shield

The SpaceX-led group is pitching the Pentagon on a 'subscription model' for missile defense, sources said

Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., left, and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Picture: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg

Elon Musk's SpaceX and two partners have emerged as frontrunners to win a crucial part of President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, six people familiar with the matter said.

Musk's rocket and satellite company is partnering with software maker Palantir and drone builder Anduril on a bid to build key parts of Golden Dome, the sources said, which has drawn significant interest from the technology sector's burgeoning base of defense startups.