An X user posted: "I keep hearing comments that this (Starship launch) is wasting taxpayer money. Starship development is privately funded through Starlink subscription revenue. When NASA purchases rocket launches to send payloads into space, it's because this is the cheapest option, saving taxpayer money." Musk responded: "Correct."
Another user commented: "Starlink users are actually funding future space travel." Musk responded: "Yes."
Musk then posted: "SpaceX will receive approximately $1 billion in revenue from NASA this year, about 7% of our total revenue of $15 billion. Additionally, NASA is paying SpaceX for transporting astronauts and cargo to the space station, launching research satellites, and some work related to returning to the moon. All these contracts were won through competitive bidding, so the government would either pay more money or, in some cases, have no other way to safely complete the work, such as astronaut transportation. No handouts. Zero."
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