The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract to build the new “Space Data Network Backbone,” a resilient low-Earth-orbit communications architecture designed to connect military sensors, missile defense systems, and weapons platforms globally in near real time. The network will support the Pentagon’s broader “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative and future AI-enabled battle management systems.
Why it matters:
This is one of the largest autonomy and AI infrastructure awards of the year and reinforces SpaceX’s growing role as a core defense technology integrator across communications, autonomy, missile defense, and AI-enabled command-and-control.
