SpaceX wins $4.16 billion US Space Force contract for threat-detection satellites

The ​US. Space Force ​said on Friday it has awarded Elon Musk's ​IPO-bound SpaceX a $4.16 billion deal for a satellite program designed to track and target airborne threats.

The Space-Based Advanced Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI) is designed as an ‌interconnected system-of-systems, ⁠combining space-based ⁠sensors, secure communications links and ground processing to drive closer cooperation across ​the government space industrial base.

The Trump administration's flagship Golden Dome missile defense system has many layers, one of them being a sensing and tracking layer. The satellites would be expected to play a role in tracking missiles.


The Golden Dome ⁠initiative aims ‌to expand ground-based interceptors, sensors and command ​systems while ​adding space-based satellites to detect, track and potentially ⁠counter airborne threats, including still-debated weaponry in orbit.

The ​Space Force said there are several companies ​in this SB-AMTI vendor pool, including SpaceX, and it will issue multiple awards in the coming year.

"This initial award is projected to field a constellation of satellites by 2028, providing the Joint Force with an early capability to eliminate ‌operational blind spots," it said in a statement.

Earlier this week, the Space Force awarded SpaceX, which ​is targeting a ​valuation of more ⁠than $1.75 trillion in its initial public offering, a $2.29 billion contract to build a secure, high-speed satellite communications network to connect military sensors ​and weapons platforms across the globe.

The price tag for the Golden Dome missile defense shield has grown to $185 billion, up $10 billion, to accelerate key space-based capabilities, the program's director had said in March. (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona and Shilpi Majumdar)