I am writing to correct the record on the cost of development of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft. In a letter printed on Jan. 24 [โUnderstating the Cost of SpaceXโs Success,โ page 18], Joseph W. Hamaker, a senior cost analyst for SAIC, makes erroneous guesses about Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) expenditures to date, and concludes that โplaying with these numbers and being as optimistic as I dare results in costs of well over $1 billion for Falcon 9/Dragon โ probably more like $1.5 billion.โ
