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@p_l Can't respond to your comment directly. Spacexs first dod contract was in 2016. Spacex successfully landed their first falcon in 2015. They were already t
by benj111 4y ago
@p_l
Can't respond to your comment directly.
Spacexs first dod contract was in 2016. Spacex successfully landed their first falcon in 2015. They were already the company we know and 'love' prior to them getting any dod contracts.
- p_l 4y agoWhile Falcon 1 was developed on internal funding, the first two launches were paid for by DoD through DARPA. There was also a 15 million USD contract to launch a military satellite in 2005, that ultimately fell through (unknown how much was paid to SpaceX by the time of cancellation, but definitely not 0). In 2005, SpaceX boasted USAF as customer lined up for Falcon 1 launches. Ultimately, first 2 launches the customer was purely military, and third launch by SpaceX was shared military / NASA / civilian client.