TECH - SpaceX's $1.8-Billion Contract With Pentagon: Is Elon Musk Playing A Role In US National Security? | Benzinga
SpaceX, a privately-held designer and manufacturer of rockets, is more than just a NASA contractor.
The Elon Musk-led company is gaining ground as a major defense contractor, strengthening its ties with military and intelligence agencies, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Hawthorne, California-based company — which successfully launched 96 rockets in 2023 — entered a classified contract with the U.S. government in 2021 worth $1.8 billion.
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The agency that took the contract remains undisclosed. However, it's not the first time SpaceX signed a contract with the U.S.
In September, the Pentagon signed a $70 million contract with the company's secretive Starshield arm. Starshield provides communication services from SpaceX's Starlink internet network for "national security purposes."
The company's Starlink arm functions as a satellite internet ...