Billionaire Elon Musk on Thursday denied reports that his company is providing technology to create the Golden Dome missile system for the United States. But SpaceX is open to helping if President Donald Trump asks them, Musk said.
On the social media platform X, the SpaceX CEO said, "If the President asks us to help in this regard, we will do so, but I hope that other companies (not SpaceX) can do this."
Musk added that SpaceX had not placed a bid for any contract related to the proposed missile system. He also underlined its commitment to sending people to Mars.
He said, "SpaceX has not tried to bid for any contract in this regard," adding, "Our strong preference would be to stay focused on taking humanity to Mars."
The clarification came after a Reuters report claimed SpaceX, along with two partner firms, was a frontrunner for a major role in developing the Golden Dome missile defence shield, a crucial element of Trump's vision for national security.
The companies pitched their plan, which involved building and launching between 400 and over 1,000 satellites to orbit the Earth and use them to detect and track missiles in real time, sources said.
A separate fleet of 200 attack satellites armed with missiles or lasers would then bring enemy missiles down, Reuters further reported.
SpaceX has reportedly also proposed an alternative. Instead of the government purchasing and fully controlling the technology, SpaceX, as part of an alternative plan, may retain ownership and the government can pay a subscription fee to use it, it added.
The Golden Dome missile shield is a defence system designed to protect against incoming threats, particularly from long-range missiles. It is similar to Israel's Iron Dome, designed to track and destroy short-range rockets.
