SpaceX Starship spending has reached about $15 billion as Elon Musk’s company develops the two-stage rocket for Moon and Mars missions, according to an IPO registration reviewed by Reuters.
The figure far exceeds the roughly $400 million SpaceX spent developing Falcon 9, the company’s frequently reused launch vehicle, according to the filing.
SpaceX is developing Starship to reduce launch costs, increase mission frequency and carry heavier payloads, supporting a wider range of missions.
The rocket will also deploy larger batches of next-generation Starlink satellites, strengthening SpaceX’s satellite internet business and improving orbital efficiency.
The company is pursuing an “airline-like” launch model. In this model, rockets can be launched, recovered and reused far more frequently than current industry standards.
The Starship programme still faces technical and operational challenges. These include heat-shield development for safe re-entry, in-orbit refuelling, and launch infrastructure for rapid reuse.
Starship is also expected to support the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Artemis programme. This programme aims to return humans to the Moon.
Read: SpaceX Musk Pay Package Tied to Mars Colony Goal
SpaceX has competed with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin on NASA lunar lander work. The SpaceX board has tied Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s perks, beyond his nominal $54,000 salary, to the colonisation of Mars.
