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Study Finds SpaceX Investment Saved NASA Hundreds of Millions (popularmechanics.com)
schwit1 shares a report from Popular Mechanics: When a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft connected with the International Space Station on May 25, 2012, it made history as the first privately-built spacecraft to reach the ISS. The Dragon was the result of a decision 6 years prior -- in 2006, NASA made an "unprecedented" investment in SpaceX technology. A new financial analysis shows that the investment has paid off, and the government found one of the true bargains of the 21st century when it invested in SpaceX. A new research paper by Edgar Zapata, who works at Kennedy Space Center, looks closely at the finances of SpaceX and NASA. "There were indications that commercial space transportation would be a viable option from as far back as the 1980s," Zapata writes. "When the first components of the ISS were sent into orbit 1998, NASA was focused on "ambitious, large single stage-to-orbit launchers with large price tags to match." For future commercial crew missions sending astronauts into space, Zapata estimates that it will cost $405 million for a SpaceX Dragon crew deployment of 4 and $654 million for a Boeing Starliner, which is scheduled for its first flight in 2019. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but Zapata estimates that its only 37 to 39 percent of what it would have cost the government.
I was literally touring kennedy space center yesterday, the theme of the guided tour was commercial contractors are going to take over LEO and NASA will focus on deep space with SLS/Orion
"Could've, would've, should've," dummy.
Zapata estimates that [ the cost of a SpaceX crew deployment ] its only 37 to 39 percent of what it would have cost the government.
Sounds like it's time to sell-off NASA's space operations (or maybe just the non-exploration parts) to SpaceX.
They seem to be doing a much better job of it. More innovative, cheaper, faster turnarounds. Is there really any reason for NASA to do anything in LEO any more?
Hey I have an idea. Spacex is so good, we need to Eliminate NASA, destroy the launch facilities, and restore Cape Canaveral to the wildlife only refuge is is, and Spacex will take over and we'll save so much money we'll finally be winning.
Only makes sense, Spacex will start making engines on production lines that will dwarf anything NASA ever made, I'm expecting with their expertise that 10 million pounds of thrust should be just a CAD design away.
Sorry to ridicule you, but it's a partnership. Spacex is doing the work that can be profitable.
More's the pity that people are seeing the system working like it should, and decide that the outfit that makes all this stuff possible through development of the technology then transferring it to private enterprise is somehow the bad guy.
IOW, Spacex is getting the stuff that is reduced to practice, and tweaking the hell out of it to improve it, and now NASA still provides the facilities, and doesn't have to do the mundane work, and can continue to work on the balls to the wall stuff that sure as hell isn't ready to transfer yet. You need to research the F1 engines used on the Saturn, and now the F1-b's. Many superlatives like the loudest non- nuclear detonation noise made by humans, the emplacement of Mission control based on a minimum survivable distance from the launchpad to realize that private industry isn't going to develop much less take on that responsibility.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.