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NASA has given seed money and development funding for Dragon, Falcon 9, engines and demonstration launches ($248M at least) https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/453605main_
by nabla9 5y ago
NASA has given seed money and development funding for Dragon, Falcon 9, engines and demonstration launches ($248M at least) https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/453605main_Commercial_Space_Minutes_4_26_2010.pdf https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/453605main_Commercial_Space_Minutes...
I think this is the same way as Boeing and others get their money for development.
- himinlomax 5y agoThe difference is that Boeing and others are financed the way a public works would be, like a bridge or highway. They thus have no incentive to get cheaper / more efficient once they get the contract, and in fact make more money the less efficient they are -- as long as the government doesn't tire of paying them. SpaceX gets development subsidies, like the others do, but they sell launches, not an ongoing project. As a result, the more efficient they are, the more profit they make.
- nabla9 5y agoUnited Launch Alliance (ULA), sells launches. ULA sells launches for Delta IV Heavy and Atlas V. ULA is Boeing/Lockheed joint venture. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, New Horizons, Starliner crew capsule ... basically all NASA and DoD launches come from ULA.