How do governmental space programs and private space companies make money?

Question

I imagine designing and building space craft and paying top scientists a wage costs A LOT of money.

So do government programs make money or does it just use up tax dollars without much return?

Also how does a company like SpaceX, for example, make their money?

In: 9

Answer 1

A government space program isn’t there to make money. It’s to further science and for the betterment of mankind. Even then both Nasa and Space X do make money by lifting satellites into space. Launching a Satellite is very expensive for the person that wants the satellite up there.