Elon Musk's SpaceX and two partners have emerged as frontrunners

Elon Musk's SpaceX and two partners have emerged as frontrunners to win a crucial part of President Donald Trump's 'Golden Dome' missile defense shield.

Musk's rocket and satellite company is partnering with software maker Palantir PLTR.O and drone builder Anduril on a bid to build key parts of project.

In an unusual twist, SpaceX has proposed setting up its role in Golden Dome as a 'subscription service' in which the government would pay for access to the technology, rather than own the system outright