Without SpaceX, the USA would have little, if any, presence in the commercial satellite launching business. Now we're dominant.
Posted on 12/29/2017 12:48:59 AM PST by iowamark
As the United States aims to reclaim its position as a leader in space exploration, it’s important to keep our space program grounded in fiscal reality.
Last week, President Trump directed NASA to get astronauts back to the moon, with the goal of eventually sending Americans on a mission to Mars. It’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of potential new technological achievements and forget the very real costs that are associated with them—costs that are incurred regardless of whether such programs are successful or not. It’s a particular worry with NASA, an agency that has a history of cost overruns.
A recent GAO report found that the cost of NASA’s new manned Orion spacecraft had soared $707 million over budget. Nearly a decade earlier, a former NASA administrator had warned of systemic cost overruns and delays. A delay in one project added $400 million to the bill, according to one report.
The need for transparency and accountability is particularly apparent in the case of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, one of the companies that works as a contractor for NASA and could end up designing and building one of the rockets that propels men to Mars.
Musk himself has a track record of landing government subsidies to fuel his ventures. Last year, a Reason magazine columnist dubbed Musk a ‘crony capitalist’ for reeling in $4.9 billion in government handouts for his three companies: Telsa, SolarCity and SpaceX. Nevada alone chipped in $1.3 billion a lone to lure Musk — who was worth $14.3 billion last year — to build a battery factory in the state.
So taxpayers have good reason to be on guard when it comes to SpaceX’s role in publicly-funded space exploration.
Already, it has cost taxpayers more than it should have. In 2015, a SpaceX rocket exploded destroying a cargo of equipment and food headed to the space station. But SpaceX still got paid even though the mission failed—a reported 80 percent of its normal $100 million fee per launch, according to the Los Angeles Times.
SpaceX reportedly investigated the crash on its own, although the FAA and NASA were supposedly involved too. NASA promised to release its own findings, but then reneged, leading one contributor at The Hill to call out the space agency for giving preferential treatment to SpaceX. He noted that NASA had made public its report on a similar 2014 launch failure of an Orbital’s Antares rocket. Although NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) thought SpaceX’s results could be inaccurate and there might be several reasons for the explosion, the American people will likely never know.
The funding stream to SpaceX isn’t about to stop anytime soon. According to the Los Angeles Times report, an estimated $11 billion NASA had budgeted for space station operations from 2016 to 2020 was slated to go to contractors like SpaceX.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is still experiencing launch failures. In early November, one of its Merlin engines exploded during a test at a company facility in McGregor, Texas, according to Space.com. Getting to the bottom of this one is important because the engine is expected to eventually send astronauts to space.
Once again, SpaceX is leading its own investigation into the cause. In a statement, the company promised a “thorough and fully transparent investigation.” True transparency means being transparent to the public. This is no time to mess around; human lives are at stake. Let’s hope that SpaceX turns a new page not only on improving its new engine but also in being more accountable to taxpayers.
A much needed warning!
Odd, we never heard similar warnings under the socialist druggie:
As the United States aims to claim a position as a leader in socialized medicine, it’s important to keep our Obamacare program grounded in fiscal reality.
Last week, Obama directed HHS to get more people covered by Obamacare, with the goal of eventually saving American families an average of $2500 a year while covering everyone. It’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of potential new medical achievements and forget the very real costs that are associated with them—costs that are incurred regardless of whether such programs are successful or not. It’s a particular worry with HHS, an agency that has a history of cost overruns.
A recent GAO report https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/medicaid-estimate-renews-cost-concerns-over-obamacare found that the cost of HHS’s new Obamacare program had soared 49% over budget. Nearly five years earlier, every republican in Congress had warned of expected cost overruns and delays. The promises that “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor” and other positive claims all failed catastrophically.
When we see such a disparity in reporting objectivity, there is only one logical conclusion:
#FakeNews strikes again.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is still experiencing launch failures. In early November, one of its Merlin engines exploded during a test at a company facility in McGregor, Texas, according to Space.com.
...
Losing a newly modified engine on a test stand isn’t a launch failure.
SpaceX just finished a perfect year. Eighteen launches and each payload made it to its contracted orbit or higher (a valuable bonus for a customer). There were no engine failures and every attempted first stage recovery landing was a success. All this while dominating the commercial launch market with prices much lower than the competition, and usually with better availability due to reuse.
The author needs to find something else to bitch about.
True. The writer was fast and loose with his facts. Agenda-driven reporting.
Without SpaceX, the USA would have little, if any, presence in the commercial satellite launching business. Now we're dominant.
That chart is kinda poorly made. They could pay me in specific beer to redo the article.
Like.
Was about to ask why wasn’t the “Fiscal Transparency Critical” when Obama was in office. Remember when O designated a NASA outreach to Muslims?
I remember when the baby socialist took power and our debt was $10T, and when we finally restored democracy the debt had doubled to $20T. The media never squacked about that.
#FakeNews. Even when they tell the truth, which is rare, they are cherry picking which truth to tell.
It’s also not particularly unexpected, if it is early in testing...
I’m all for fiscal transparency, but this stuff does cost serious money: The author also seems to forget that competitors who didn’t meet program goals so well did not continue to receive funding, and are either dropping out or looking for alternatives...
Our society is totally intollerent of physical risk or failure.
If something is not risk-free and guaranteed to succeed, we want nothing to do with it.
Hard to believe our forefathers and mothers came to this country without guarantees of survival of the journey, let alone success. Just the chance to make a better life for themselves.
Today, we have a generation of failures, created by the public school systems, ignorant of their past and determined to destroy their future by heading down known failure paths.
I fear that the next person to stand on the Moon will be either Chinese or Russian. I do fear this STRONGLY! Yet our media made great mock of Newt Gingrich’s 2012 campaign promise for a renewed effort in space by the USofA. If Trump pushes for his goals, we will likely see the same mock made again.
Wow. If Musk keeps this up, he’ll drive everyone but the Euros right out of the market.
The Russkis must be fit to be tied.
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