I was referring to getting our astronauts home from the space station, spacecraft and launch vehicles etc. Musk is a problem but giving 30 billion to NASA doesn't save us 30 billion.
It doesn’t. NASA can’t and couldn’t do what Musk and SpaceX does. NASA is now better suited for deep space research and other technological developments. Anyone trying to discredit Musk’s contribution to humanity and how much money he has saved our government is a politically motivated person parroting talking points they hear and see from people/groups they gravitate toward to reinforce their own beliefs.
The numbers don’t lie. The results don’t lie. The same people projecting the failure of our country and economy because Trump and republicans won the election, are the same people making snide comments about spacex launch failures. Failures they gain vast data from and improve upon better than NASA or any government agency ever could; for far less money. Musk himself needs zero of our dollars for any possible personal gain. When someone says “cut him off he has enough money already” they just demonstrate they have no idea what they’re talking about.
From an unbiased robot (ChatGPT)
SpaceX has been significantly more efficient than NASA in terms of cost per launch and cost per spacecraft development when using government funds. Here’s a breakdown of the efficiency gains:
1. Cost per Launch
• NASA’s Space Shuttle (1981–2011): ~$450 million per launch.
• SpaceX Falcon 9: ~$67 million per launch (now as low as $55M for commercial customers).
• Cost Savings: Falcon 9 is ~7 times cheaper than the Space Shuttle.
2. Cost of Development
• NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System): Over $23 billion spent in development and ~$4.1 billion per launch.
• SpaceX’s Falcon 9 & Heavy: ~$390 million for Falcon 9 development, ~$500 million for Falcon Heavy.
• Cost Savings: Falcon Heavy, which is more powerful than SLS Block 1, cost ~20 times less to develop.
3. NASA’s Commercial Crew vs. Traditional NASA Development
• NASA’s Orion Capsule: ~$20 billion+ spent since 2006, ~$900 million per launch.
• SpaceX Crew Dragon: Developed for ~$2.6 billion total.
• Cost Savings: Crew Dragon was ~7 times cheaper than Orion’s cost per launch.
4. Reusability & Cost Reduction
• SpaceX has reused Falcon 9 boosters up to 20 times, dramatically lowering costs.
• NASA’s traditional approach with disposable rockets (SLS) is not reusable, making it much more expensive in the long run.
Conclusion
SpaceX has demonstrated that private-sector efficiency, innovation, and reusability lead to cost reductions of 5-20 times compared to traditional NASA programs. NASA still plays a vital role in research, deep space exploration, and technology development, but for launch services, SpaceX has delivered far greater efficiency per government dollar spent.