Elon Musk’s SpaceX has secured a massive $4.16 billion contract with the U.S. Space Force to accelerate a next-generation threat-detection satellite network. The program, known as the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI), aims to deploy a sophisticated constellation of satellites to track airborne threats worldwide.
The military is increasingly turning to space to track aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles. Traditional airborne tracking methods, like the Air Force’s aging AWACS planes, are becoming dangerously vulnerable to advanced enemy defense systems. Moving these critical radar capabilities into orbit creates a highly resilient network that eliminates dangerous operational blind spots, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The massive $4.16 billion deal capped off a historic multi-billion-dollar week for SpaceX, which also landed a separate $2.29 billion Space Force contract days prior to build a secure, high-speed military communications network.
These advanced space networks will serve as a foundational layer for the Trump administration’s $185 billion "Golden Dome" missile defense initiative. While SpaceX has been tapped to establish the initial capabilities, the Space Force intends to bring additional aerospace vendors into the program over the coming year to foster a competitive industrial base.
If milestones are met, SpaceX's initial constellation of tracking satellites is projected to be fully operational in orbit by 2028.
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