SpaceX was awarded a $4.16 billion contract as part of a U.S. Space Force program to track missiles and aircraft from orbit, a key part of President Trump's proposed Golden Dome project.

Elon Musk's aerospace company will provide technology, including satellites, for a Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program, the Space Force said Friday.

The program incorporates space-based sensors, secure communication links, ground processing and would complement traditional airborne sensing from planes. The Space Force expects to field a constellation of satellites by 2028.

"We are providing the Joint Force with sustained battlespace awareness of contested airspace," said Col. Ryan Frazier, who is also Space Force's acting portfolio acquisition executive.

Earlier this week, the Space Force awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract to develop the Space Data Network Backbone program, which will provide a layer of satellite communications for Golden Dome's future missile interceptors.

The Wall Street Journal reported in October that the Pentagon was poised to award SpaceX $2 billion of funding to quickly field a system of up to 600 satellites for the AMTI mission. The Golden Dome project's director said at a March industry conference that the military was fast-tracking both the AMTI and Space Data Network programs to ensure the defensive system could be operational in 2028.

SpaceX is aiming for an initial public offering in coming weeks that may raise at least $80 billion, which would give the company a valuation of $1.5 trillion or more, The Journal has reported. In recent years, SpaceX has become increasingly influential in U.S. national security, with a significant satellite business that serves military and intelligence agencies.

Write to Christopher Kuo at [email protected]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

Space Force Awards SpaceX $4.16 Billion Contract For Airborne Threat Targeting -- Update