ILON MASK ABOUT SPACEX RATES: WITH US SATELLITES BECOME FREE OF CHARGE

The budget of the US Air Force recently became available for familiarization to all comers, so it became possible to compare the prices for launches from companies providing such services. It turned out that SpaceX are big fellows, and their prices differ significantly from those of the United Launch Alliance (ULA), owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

The US government pays ULA a fixed price for the launch of any carrier rocket, whether Atlas V, Delta IV or Delta IV Heavy. In addition, companies pay additional contributions, which guarantee a 100% readiness to launch in case of unforeseen situations.

According to the estimate published on the site, the cost of launching one missile in fiscal year 2020 will be 422 million US dollars, and in the next - 424 million. At the same time last year, the US Air Force paid SpaceX for launching a communications satellite of only 83 million, and in the spring of 2017 SpaceX put into orbit one more such satellite for 96 million. The commercial launch of a single Falcon 9 missile costs about $ 65 million, but the military usually makes more serious security and launch requirements, so the price is usually higher for them. But even in that case, the difference is obvious.

On this occasion Ilon Mask wrote on his Twitter that at such prices the customer essentially gets the satellite himself for free, and the ULA executive director admitted that the company can not compete with SpaceX at the cost of launching.