>>12598408>every Falcon 1 launch was brought by the government>after Ratsat success got NASA funding>Merlin got DoD fundingI could go on but all this is ignoring the fact the only reason there are people that know how to build orbital rockets for SpaceX to hire in the first place is government funded projects.
This is what I mean buy building infrastructure, it isn't all roads and bases but everything required to make an industry possible.
>>12598442>funded entirely on mercantile interestsThe Monarchs of Castile and Aragon funded Christopher Columbus, people that collected taxes and funded projects. We don't call them monarchs these days but I think something like this still exists.
>The policing of the seas was done by large naviesWho paid for those navies?
>there is quite literally a space military/police organization being built right nowWho is paying for that?
>do you think the sugar plantations in the Caribbean were built in the public trustI think they were defended by navies, navies that also constructed most of the major trade ports before they were used for trade.
>>12598462Good point, who protected those ships?
>>12598480I fucking hate SLS, congress and most of NASA. I just know enough about business and history to know they aren't going to throw the kind of money space takes on the hope it pays off.
>but MuskHow much government funding has SpaceX got now? We can weight up his initial $90m to just the $1.6b he got for CRS if you can't be bothered adding it all up.
>>12598486Musk has the drive he could very well, that said at this point the money he has put in s nothing compared to the funding he has gotten.