Palantir and Anduril Industries are jointly developing the core software for the Golden Dome missile defense system — a $185 billion space-based shield designed to intercept ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles. The companies are building a command-and-control platform that processes data from distributed sensors and enables commanders to coordinate weapons systems against aerial threats in real time.
The project also involves Elon Musk's SpaceX (satellite launch and Starshield constellation), along with traditional defense primes Lockheed Martin, RTX, and Northrop Grumman. Additional participants include Aalyria Technologies, Scale AI, and Swoop Technologies.
Trump signed the Golden Dome executive order in January 2025 with an initial $175 billion estimate. The Department of War subsequently increased the budget to $185 billion to accelerate space-based capabilities.
The Thiel Convergence
Golden Dome represents the physical convergence of the Thiel surveillance-weapons network:
All three companies are connected through the Thiel/PayPal network. Thiel co-founded Palantir, his Founders Fund led Anduril's funding, and Musk (Thiel's PayPal co-founder) runs SpaceX. Trump Jr.'s 1789 Capital co-invested in Anduril. Vice President JD Vance — Thiel's protege — serves in the administration overseeing the $185 billion project.
The software layer Palantir and Anduril are building will integrate the same AI capabilities used in Palantir's surveillance platforms (pattern recognition, data fusion, targeting) with Anduril's autonomous weapons coordination (Lattice OS). The domestic surveillance infrastructure and the military weapons infrastructure are converging into a single integrated platform, developed by companies connected through a single investor network whose protege is Vice President.
Antonio Gracias (Valor Equity founder, DOGE official) has connections to SpaceX's board, further intertwining the DOGE-Thiel-Trump network with Golden Dome contracting.