The Trump administration is broadening its search for partners to build the Golden Dome missile defence system, reaching out to Amazon.com’s Project Kuiper and major defence contractors as tensions with Elon Musk cast doubt over SpaceX’s continued dominance in the program, as per a Reuters report.
The pivot marks a strategic shift away from reliance on Musk’s SpaceX, whose Starlink and Starshield satellite constellations have become critical to US military communications.
The move follows a public falling-out between Trump and Musk in recent months, though officials had already begun exploring alternatives amid concerns about depending too heavily on a single vendor for large portions of the $175 billion space-based shield, the report said, citing sources.
The escalating feud between Musk and Trump has begun to reshape both political and business dynamics in the US.
Musk’s recent launch of the “America Party” — a centrist, tech-driven political movement — marks a direct challenge to Trump-aligned Republicans, particularly those who supported the former president’s tax-and-spend policies.
After earlier reports named SpaceX as a leading contender for Golden Dome, Musk posted on X that the company had “not tried to bid for any contract in this regard” and would prefer to stay focused on “taking humanity to Mars.”
The Golden Dome: who will be involved?
Despite the tension, SpaceX remains well-positioned to retain a significant role, especially in launch services, thanks to its unmatched track record of deploying more than 9,000 Starlink satellites and extensive experience with government contracts.
But the Pentagon’s outreach to Project Kuiper — which has so far launched just 78 of its planned 3,000 low-Earth orbit satellites — signals a willingness to broaden the field.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s executive chairman, told the news agency in January that Kuiper’s primary focus would be commercial, but acknowledged, “there will be defence uses for these [LEO] constellations, no doubt.”
Golden Dome is modelled loosely after Israel’s Iron Dome but is far more expansive, involving multiple layers of orbital missile defence.
A vast network of satellites is essential to cover the US and its allies.
“Kuiper is a big one,” a US official said of potential satellite vendors. While SpaceX is still expected to handle many launch contracts, its share of the program could shrink.
Officials have begun talks with new entrants like Rocket Lab and Stoke Space, which are gaining momentum and will be allowed to compete for individual launch contracts as the program evolves.
“Each individual launch is going to get bid, and we have to actually give bids to other people,” the official was quoted as saying in the report.
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