> So far, he hasn't even proven an ability to do that in earth orbit without taxpayer money
So far, no human has been put in orbit without taxpayer money, anywhere. That's the past, though. It would be silly to suggest that because that's the way things used to be, that things will always be that way. Or else, everyone could make that argument about every endeavour by every company, and you'd be stuck in an argument that ONLY governments will ever be able to put humans into orbit. And of course that's nonsense.
> SpaceX is almost entirely dependent on government contracts.
False. Wouldn't you want to see their launch manifest first, before speculating on where their money comes from?
Bills aren't paid by counting up numbers of customers. Of those customers listed, most are small-fry, kicking in a few million here and there, while NASA is the main source of cash. Over the 10 years of SpaceX's existence, NASA has put in approximately as much money as all other funders (Musk, his investors, and every non-NASA customer) combined. Private-sector customers account for less than 30% of revenues.
In this case the money they're receiving is closer to grant money than payment from a customer. But in any case, the further-up-the-thread post was just arguing that whether SpaceX will go to Mars (or anywhere else) depends in significant part on convincing their one dominant "customer", the U.S. Federal Government, to spend taxpayer money on the goal. The alternative, funding a trip to Mars entirely from private-sector funds and private-sector customers, does not appear so far to be close to materializing, considering that they haven't even successfully funded a trip to low-earth orbit via that means.
So far, no human has been put in orbit without taxpayer money, anywhere. That's the past, though. It would be silly to suggest that because that's the way things used to be, that things will always be that way. Or else, everyone could make that argument about every endeavour by every company, and you'd be stuck in an argument that ONLY governments will ever be able to put humans into orbit. And of course that's nonsense.
> SpaceX is almost entirely dependent on government contracts.
False. Wouldn't you want to see their launch manifest first, before speculating on where their money comes from?
http://www.spacex.com/launch_manifest.php