SBI contracts awarded, winners secret

The Pentagon is shielding details about the marquee effort of its Golden Dome missile defense initiative, using what officials describe as "enhanced security measures" to withhold information about newly issued contracts for space-based interceptor prototypes.

The awards, made last month, mark the first major step in developing a constellation of kill vehicles intended to engage long-range threats from orbit. Bloomberg reported the contract awards last week.

A Space Force spokesperson said the service awarded multiple prototype agreements through competitive Other Transaction Agreements following a “robust and thorough” selection process. The names of the companies selected are not being released. 

The spokesperson cited enhanced security protections tied to the program’s critical technology and explained that Other Transaction Awards are not subject to standard disclosure rules. Contracts below $9 million are also not required to be announced by the Pentagon.

The secrecy comes as the Pentagon prepares to pour substantial money into the Space-Based Interceptor program, which sits at the center of the Golden Dome architecture championed by the Trump administration.

Analysts and former officials have raised concerns about the technical and fiscal feasibility of placing interceptors in orbit, but the department is moving ahead with an accelerated plan for prototyping and flight demonstrations.

The Defense Department is estimated to have nearly $6 billion available in fiscal year 2026 to begin work on space-based interceptors. The money was provided through a reconciliation package approved over the summer, separate from the department’s annual appropriations bill.

The Space Force issued a request for proposals on Sept. 18 and gave companies two weeks to respond. Those eligible to bid must be authorized to access unclassified export-controlled data tied to critical technologies.

The program is structured around fixed-price prototype contracting and could incorporate prize competitions to speed innovation, with cash or contract awards for achieving specific technology milestones.