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Falcon 1 got funding from DARPA. Falcon 9 got funding from NASA as part of the effort to develop resupply for ISS. For both efforts there was significant priv
by thinkcontext 6y ago
Falcon 1 got funding from DARPA. Falcon 9 got funding from NASA as part of the effort to develop resupply for ISS. For both efforts there was significant private money put in as well. Musk has said they would have succeeded w/o government money but it would have taken longer, which is debatable.
- systemvoltage 6y agoMusk also put in his Paypal earnings into it. Let's put it this way - if it wasn't for private entrepreneurship and Musk's vision, SpaceX wouldn't be here no matter what DARPA or NASA would have done.
- 6pac3rings 6y agoElon's leadership drive and capital had the catalyzing effect. Without Elon, all the capital in the world would've gone into laggy bureaucratic procurement and project management pie in the sky bridges to nowhere. ARPA might've done what today's DARPA/NASA does not do.
- NikolaeVarius 6y agoElon literally put in most of his wealth to build spacex and was on the verge of bankruptcy if he couldn't prove his launcher worked and get funding.
- thinkcontext 6y agoNothing I said contradicts that.