In his testimony to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee today on alternatives to the Space Shuttle, Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, mentioned that SpaceX's long term development plans included both heavy and super-heavy rockets, if the market would support such development.
He mentioned a goal of a price of $500 per pound for the future. He didn't specify whether that price was for the heavy or super-heavy version. If that is for the heavy version, it would underprice its competition by much more than SpaceX's current offerings.
A further note regarding Bigelow Aerospace and SpaceX: In its medium+ configuration, available in 2006, the Falcon V could deliver 20,000 lbs. to Low Earth Orbit. This configuration probably would allow Bigelow Aerospace to launch a full-sized version of its inflatable space station modules (maybe they would attach several modules together if larger space were needed). As discussed yesterday, in 2005, Bigelow Aerospace will launch a 1/3rd scale test module on the medium configuration Falcon V, which has a capacity of 10,000 lbs. to Low Earth Orbit.
The Falcon V medium+ would also need to carry passengers and supplies to these modules. To do this, SpaceX would need to design a capsule and re-entry vehicle capable of ferrying people up and down. SpaceX has said that the Falcon V is going to be man-rated from first design, but building manned capsules and station transfer vehicles strikes me as a very pricey and time-consuming endeavor. I wonder whether there is any Apollo-era knowledge available for hire. SpaceX certainly would be the first private manned space program!
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