Changes in the company’s pricing policy affected both the launch part of the business and the Starlink satellite system. The company attributed the adjustment to inflation: according to data from the US Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics on March 10, the country’s inflation rate over the past 12 months was 7.9%, reaching a forty-year-high.
“The sole purpose of these adjustments is to keep up with rising inflation,” SpaceX said in a message to customers, which also mentions “excessive inflation,” writes SpaceNews.
As for Starlink, the rise in the price of services impacted both the cost of purchasing the terminal, which increased by 20% and now amounts to.599, and the cost of a monthly subscription, the price of which increased by 11% to до 110. Nevertheless, Starlink continues to develop: now SpaceX is developing a special antenna for commercial airliners, and the number of network users has reached 250 thousand.
The changes also affected launch services. The average price tag for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket launches increased by 8% to 6 67 million and.97 million, respectively. In addition, the launch price of a kilogram of payload under the “Smallsat Rideshare” program has increased by 10%: now it is становить 5,500.
SpaceX also does not rule out that inflation may impact the cost of its services in the coming years.
“Price adjustments made in March 2022 to account for excessive levels of inflation,” the company’s price list says. “Missions purchased in 2022 but scheduled flights after 2023 may be subject to additional adjustments due to inflation.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who also runs automaker Tesla, recently complained about the impact of inflation on both companies. “Tesla and SpaceX have recently seen significant inflationary pressures on raw materials and logistics,” he wrote on Twitter on March 13.
Tesla & SpaceX are seeing significant recent inflation pressure in raw materials & logistics
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022
