SpaceX Gets $4.16 Billion Contract From U.S. Space Force to Target, Track Airborne Threats

SpaceX was awarded a $4.16 billion contract by the U.S. Space Force to develop a space-based program to track and target airborne threats.

The contract with Elon Musk's aerospace company is designed to accelerate the delivery of a space-based sensing layer as part of the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program, Space Force's Space Systems Command said Friday.

The program incorporates space-based sensors, secure communication links and ground processing. The Pentagon is currently at work on a shield system known as Golden Dome, a complex network of satellites and other technologies to shoot down missiles.

The new technology would complement traditional airborne sensing, the Command said. The award was granted by the Space Force's Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Space Based Sensing & Targeting.

In recent years, SpaceX has become increasingly influential in U.S. national security, with a satellite business that serves military and intelligence agencies, The Wall Street Journal reported.