Posted on 10/02/2018 7:33:45 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
The head of Russia’s space agency has accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of trying to squeeze Moscow out of the carrier rockets market by lowballing prices for commercial space flights.
SpaceX has upended the space industry with its relatively low-cost Falcon 9 rockets. The company has completed more than 50 successful Falcon launches and snagged billions of dollars' worth of contracts, including deals with NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s Roscosmos Federal Space Agency, told state-run television on Monday that Musk sells launches from $40 million to $60 million “to squeeze Russia out of this market.”
“We understand that this game is unfair,” he said on Channel One’s “The Great Game” political show.
Rogozin claimed Musk is colluding with the Pentagon, which he says “pays him on average $150 million for every launch.”
“He’s paid extra to enter the market with a cheaper product. Of course Russia can’t compete,” the former deputy prime minister charged.
Rogozin vowed to regain leadership in the space launch market with a new Angara heavy space rocket.
“You’ll check and correct me in two-three years.”
NASA is planning to send a manned test flight to the International Space Station aboard Musk’s Crew Dragon commercial spacecraft in April 2019. Moscow has suggested it would stop sending American astronauts to the ISS after the Russian-U.S. contract expires in April as bilateral relations continue their downward spiral.
Since the U.S. space shuttles were retired in 2011, Roscosmos has charged NASA an estimated $70 million for each seat aboard its rockets. Musk promises to undercut that significantly, charging around $20 million on his Dragon spacecraft.
(Excerpt) Read more at themoscowtimes.com ...
It’s called Capitalism.
Is it? Or is it crony capitalism (national socialism)?
I’m asking - I don’t know the particulars here.
I don’t have a problem with a country protecting critical defense infrastructure though - so maybe if we are subsidizing Musk here it might be worth while.
Beat me to it. It’s called the “free market”. I know it’s a relatively knew concept in Russia.
Yep. SpaceX charges less because it costs them less.
The Pentagon pays more because they require extra services.
SpaceX actually uses some off the shelf parts. They manufacture a lot of their own parts especially when suppliers jack up the prices.
Vertical integration and what Musk calls first principles engineering is what makes their costs significantly less.
He did take a bite out of their business. But don’t worry Russia, our government is busy prosecuting him now. He pointed out a pedophile and that is the third rail over here.
Free market, Free enterprise, competition
3 things that the Russians are not used to. Perhaps they should start thinking beyond their old Soviet technology.
I don’t know why so many people hate Elon Musk.
Seems to me he’s doing great things for America. Taking back control of space is just one of them.
“It’s called Capitalism.”
Yes, and so the completely worthless SEC f*cks with Musk. This country could use 100 more Musks willing to do for a reasonable price what Musk has been doing.
Agreed. We need more Elons if anything. And Russia shouldn’t have dominated the market for so long in the first place.
We were busy making Muslim countries feel good about themselves. :(
Free markets suck. /s
Rogozin claimed Musk is colluding with the Pentagon, which he says “pays him on average $150 million for every launch.” “He’s paid extra to enter the market with a cheaper product. Of course Russia can’t compete,” the former deputy prime minister charged.
Charged? That's not a charge, it's merely a slight spin of reality for a bureaucrat who grew up in, and continues to live in, a police state. SpaceX isn't launching astronauts yet, but when SpaceX does, it'll be putting them in orbit and earning a profit for half the money NASA's been paying to our enemies.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.