Elon Musk C|NET interview....

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C|NET interview....<br /><br />Not very long or deep, but interesting. The early part of the interview is about Tesla. Below is the part about SpaceX;<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>><br /><b>On a completely different topic, how is SpaceX doing?</b><br /><br />Musk: Good. Last year we were profitable for the first year with over $100 million in revenue. We'll do either two or three launches of our Falcon 1 vehicle this year.<br /><br /><b>When is the next launch?</b><br /><br />Musk: It's contingent on our satellite tests. It's currently tentatively scheduled for June because that's when they will be ready. We have 12 launches on manifest going forward. Over the next two and a half years we'll do 12 launches at least. In fact we'll probably add more to that manifest.<br /><br /><b>How much does each launch cost?</b><br /><br />Musk: A Falcon 1 launch is about $8 million although, of course, if you ask for any kind of special work then it would be more. Then a Falcon 9 launch is anywhere from $35 million to $55 million.<br /><br /><b>Do you have more or less respect now for NASA and the government space agencies now that you've been doing this?</b><br /><br />Musk: Well, NASA is our largest customer so I have enormous respect for them.<br /><br /><b>Why do you keep managing the company yourself? I mean, obviously you're an investor but you are also a CEO and you like to manage.</b><br /><br />Musk: Well, yeah, I'm primarily an entrepreneur and a technologist. So with SpaceX, I'm the CEO and the chief designer of the rocket.<br /><br /><b>Don't you think there are too many things on your plate?</b><br /><br />Musk: Yes, I do have too many things on my plate. I absolutely think that. SpaceX is really what I do on a day-to-day basis. The intention with Tesla is that of two to three days a month, although f</p></blockquote> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>