Elon Musk: SpaceX Can Launch Rockets Into Orbit At a Fraction of NASA's Costs
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SpaceX founder Elon Musk made bold claims about its Starship rocket during the first-ever U.S. Air Force Space Pitch Day, saying his rocketship will cost a lot less than NASA rockets to get into orbit.
Speaking during the two-day event, a chance for startups and businesses to pitch their technology and products to a branch of the military, Musk said it will cost around $2 million.
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Musk says it can get rockets in orbit at a tiny cost compared to NASA
"If you consider operational costs, maybe it'll be like $2 million" Musk was quoted as saying during a talk with Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center, during the two-day event. "This is much less than even a tiny rocket. So, it's something that needs to be made." SpaceX has lofty ambitions to send its rocket ship to space with as many as 100 people on board. The idea is to someday colonize Mars.
If Musk's claims prove true, his Starship rocket will cost just a tiny fraction of the $152 million NASA reportedly spends to get a rocket up in orbit. Sending a SpaceX rocket into orbit will cost just 1.3% of what NASA pays, noted Futurism.
SpaceX gearing up for launch next week
In October SpaceX and NASA announced SpaceX will launch astronauts with its Crew Dragon spacecraft into space as early as the beginning of next year. Once it's operational it will serve as the main transportation for astronauts to the International Space Station. It will mark the first time American astronauts visited ISS since 2011.
Musk's latest claims come as SpaceX is making progress on its initiatives. This week the company announced it is getting ready to launch its second set of Starlink Internet satellites, marking the first time it will reuse a payload fairing on a rocket. SpaceX is making history by reusing its payload fairing. Its Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch into space 11 November from Cape Canaveral in Flordia. The launch is due to begin at 9:51 AM EST and will last 11 minutes.
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