SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space technology company, has spent around $15 billion developing its Starship, a towering two-stage rocket designed to take humans to the Moon and Mars.
According to the company’s IPO filing reviewed by Reuters, the investment in Starship is significantly higher compared to the cost of its Falcon 9 rocket, which remains the most frequently reused launch vehicle globally. SpaceX spent around $400 million developing the Falcon 9.
SpaceX wants to reduce launch costs and increase the frequency of missions through Starship, which appears to be critical to the company’s future plans.
Starship is being developed to carry heavier payloads and support a broader range of missions, including the deployment of larger batches of next-generation Starlink satellites.
This capability is expected to strengthen SpaceX’s satellite internet business while improving in-orbit efficiency.
The company is also working on an “airline-like” model for space launches, where rockets can be launched, recovered and reused much more frequently than current industry standards.
However, the program continues to face technical and operational challenges, including refining thermal protection systems for safe reentry, developing in-orbit refueling technology, and building the infrastructure necessary to support rapid and repeat launches.
Starship is also expected to play a key role in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon in the coming years.
Previously, SpaceX was reported to be competing with billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to build a lunar lander for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
SpaceX’s board of directors has previously linked CEO Elon Musk’s benefits, in addition to his nominal $54,000 salary, to the colonization of Mars.
