The launch of the American manned spacecraft Crew Dragon to the International Space Station has become one of the most discussed events of recent days. For the first time in history, astronauts were delivered to the ISS using an apparatus developed by a private company, not a state one. We are talking about the manufacturer of space technology SpaceX, owned by Ilon Mask.
At the same time, as experts say, the first commercial flight of the United States for the most part took place under the direction and with the money of the government. So, back in 2014, NASA allocated Mask more than $ 3.1 billion to the project. This is stated on the official website of the US space agency.
“To launch the space program, large investments are needed, which either will definitely not pay off in a short time, or may not come back at all. Therefore, frequent investors prefer not to invest in such risky projects. Moreover, space exploration is often used for military-strategic purposes, and in this scenario, you can only rely on government funds, ”said Finam analyst Alexei Korenev.
It is noteworthy that the US authorities are not the first time sponsoring the work of SpaceX. So, back in 2006, the company became one of the winners of the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program competition and received $ 396 million for the development of a spacecraft for cargo deliveries to the ISS. Subsequently, NASA signed a contract with SpaceX for 12 launches of cargo for the ISS for a total of $ 1.6 billion.
Moreover, at the moment, SpaceX claims to receive cash assistance from the state to provide residents of sparsely populated areas of the United States with access to high-speed Internet. According to The Wall Street Journal, in total, the company expects to pay $ 16 billion over a decade.
“Of course, it cannot be said unequivocally that the commercial company SpaceX is directly funded by the US government. In this case, the state is, rather, the largest customer for missile launches and other tasks. Nevertheless, without such a client, of course, the Mask would have been much more complicated, ”said Artyom Deev, head of the AMarkets analytical department, in an interview with RT.
Meanwhile, according to the expert, the US authorities provide significant amounts of financial assistance to two other companies, Elon Mask. In 2015, The Los Angeles Times estimated that SpaceX, along with Tesla and SolarCity, received state subsidies totaling $ 4.9 billion.
“Mask companies are really developing primarily due to government support, which is expressed in the allocation of grants, tax benefits, assistance in the construction of factories, and forgiveness of loans. The government is also actively promoting a policy of tax deductions and refunds to buyers of solar panels and electric vehicles manufactured by Mask factories. Obviously, companies that regularly find themselves on the verge of bankruptcy - Tesla and SolarCity - are held solely by state subsidies, ”Deev added.
As TeleTrade chief analyst Mark Goihman told RT, in 2014 the Governor of Nevada allocated $ 1.3 billion for Tesla after the company announced its intention to establish one of its plants in the state. In particular, Tesla will receive tax deductions totaling $ 725 million over 20 years. In addition, until 2024, the company will pay a number of taxes at a reduced rate, which will save another $ 300 million. At the same time, the New York State government allocated $ 750 million to the company for the construction of the Buffalo plant.
“Sales of emission quotas also play a huge role in supporting the business: over the past three years, Tesla earned more than $ 1 billion on this. Yes, and Tesla’s success in China was made possible only thanks to government subsidies: recently, the manufacturer had to lower Model 3 prices so that the model could again began to fall under preferential terms. In other words, if it weren’t for the ubiquitous state support of green companies, the Tesla financial pyramid would have collapsed a long time ago, Gennady Nikolaev, an expert at the Academy of Financial and Investment Management, told RT.
Although SpaceX, Tesla and SolarCity remain wholly private and state-independent, government funding is still a key source for the development and implementation of new projects, says Mark Goichmann. Moreover, as noted by Alexei Korenev, despite all the news hype around the name of Elon Mask, the lack of state investment and tax benefits could turn out to be a significant financial blow for companies. As a result, ordinary investors would rapidly withdraw funds from a loss-making business, and many of the projects would simply not take place, the expert concluded.