Brits in spaaaaaaccceeeee

[Barrister]

Space flight taking place that isn't paid from the public purse it truly horrible.

I thought a good amount of the billionaire spaceflight developments are being funded by contracts with NASA, the ESA and other agencies with public funding?

I don't think Branson has gotten a dime (since his whole business model is for sub-orbital flight, which NASA has no interest in).

Bezos has spent billions of his own money (about $1 billion per year).  His company, Blue Origin, has partnered with ULA (United Launch Alliance, which itself is a partnership between Boeing and Lockheed-Martin) wherein Blue Origin is to provide engines to ULA's Vulcan rocket, so indirectly I guess it is getting some USAF money (rather than NASA), but indirectly, and still not enough to make up for the billions Bezos is pouring into it.

Musk founded SpaceX in 2001-2002, and again self-funded (or at least privately funded) for years.  He got $278 mil to help develop the Falcon 9 from NASA in 2006.  They now launch commercially for NASA but at much cheaper prices than any other launch provider.  Musk also self-funded the development of the Starship Mars spaceship until he recently got funding to turn it into a moon lander.

I need to correct my 'Branson didn't get a dime' bit.

Apparently the good people of New Mexico largely funded Branson's $200 million dollar spaceport.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07/heres-why-richard-bransons-flight-matters-and-yes-it-really-matters/

[jimmy olsen]

Maybe it's me, but I feel those billionaires all could put their money to better use than having their own private space race.

Competition would be good, but Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are so woefully behind SpaceX that this display is pathetic rather than inspiring.