The Trump administration has indeed removed Elon Musk's SpaceX from the centerpiece of the $175 billion Golden Dome missile shield project, instead bringing in Jeff Bezos' Amazon and its Project Kuiper initiative. This decision comes after a public feud between Trump and Musk, which culminated on June 5. Prior to the fallout, Pentagon officials were already uneasy about SpaceX's growing control over US military communications ¹ ².

*Key Players and Their Roles:*

- *Amazon's Project Kuiper*: Being strongly considered for the satellite layer of Golden Dome, with potential defense applications such as missile tracking. Kuiper has only deployed 78 of its planned 3,000 satellites but has drawn interest from the Pentagon.

- *SpaceX*: Expected to retain a limited role, particularly in launch operations, due to its unmatched capabilities with Falcon 9 and Starship platforms. SpaceX has already demonstrated experience in combating cyberattacks, having countered Russian jamming attempts.

- *Traditional Defense Contractors*:

- *Lockheed Martin*: Ready to support Golden Dome as a proven mission partner.

- *Northrop Grumman*: Developing orbit-based interceptors and pursuing several efforts for the project.

- *L3Harris*: Seeing increased demand for its missile warning and tracking technologies.

- *New Entrants*: Rocket Lab and Stoke Space are gaining traction and will be able to bid on individual launches as the program matures ³ ¹ ⁴.

*Project Timeline:*

General Michael Guetlein, confirmed by the Senate on July 17, is leading the Golden Dome implementation. He has ³:

- 30 days to build a team

- 60 days to draft the system’s early design

- 120 days to deliver a full blueprint for satellites and ground infrastructure

The Golden Dome project aims to create a space-based missile defense system similar to Israel's Iron Dome but on a continental scale, covering US territory and potentially allied nations ⁵.