Colorado-based Sierra Space — the company behind the space shuttle-inspired vehicle known as the Dream Chaser — won a lucrative government contract to help build President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome, the company announced Monday.

The aerospace and defense company headquartered in Louisville won a $798 million contract to design and build 18 missile warning and tracking satellites. It’ll be part of the Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3, a tracking layer that expands the Golden Dome’s architecture with more satellites and missile trackers.

Sierra Space was awarded the contract alongside L3 Harris Technologies totaling $1.75 billion, according to the Space Development Agency.

The satellites are set to launch by the end of 2028, the agency said.

“This contract demonstrates Sierra Space’s capabilities as a formidable player in American national security,” said Dan Jablonsky, CEO of Sierra Space, in a news release.

He said the company’s ability to use cutting-edge design, manufacturing and expertise in systems integration has helped it build faster and be more financially effective.

“AMDT3 is proof that our approach is working, and we’re just getting started,” Jablonsky said.

Sierra Space was also awarded a contract in 2024 worth $740 million to build 18 satellites for the Tranche 2 Tracking Layer. The company said on Monday it finished building all 18 of its satellites for the Space Development Agency and is working on qualification testing for nine of the satellites for launch.

“With these awards, SDA is accelerating the deployment of the Tracking Layer to provide the homeland, our deployed forces and allies with global, persistent indications, detection, identification, warning, tracking and defense against advanced and evolving missile threats,” said GP Sandhoo, Space Force Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Missile Warning and Tracking and SDA Director, in a release.

The Golden Dome got a major boost of financial support from President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” approved last year to allocate $25 billion for the defense system. Even though Colorado Springs lost the battle to be Space Command’s home to Alabama, the race for winning contracts to build the Golden Dome is expected to help supercharge Colorado’s prominent aerospace economy.

It has inspired several Colorado aerospace companies to pursue acquiring other smaller space startups in an effort to win lucrative Golden Dome contracts.