Media: Falcon Heavy rocket, cheaper than Bucharest metro line

The project of the planned Drumul Taberei line of the Bucharest metro is more expensive than that of the development of the Falcon Heavy rocket, according to a comparison by Stirile ProTV. And while both projects started at around the same time, only the super heavy-lift launch vehicle, designed and manufactured by SpaceX, is functional. The first bids for the Drumul Taberei line started in 2008 and the works in 2012. The completion deadlines have been postponed several times. This is the Bucharest metro’s fifth line and it is meant to connect the Drumul Taberei neighborhood to downtown Bucharest. The whole project has a value of close to EUR 690 million, EUR 570 million of which came from the EU. The European anti-fraud office OLAF recently carried out a three-day control at Metrorex, the operator of the Bucharest metro, targeting the construction of the new subway line. At the same time, the most recent term for finishing the line is the first quarter of 2019, Stirile ProTV reported. By comparison, the development of Falcon Heavy began in 2008 and the rocket went into space on its test flight on February 6. SpaceX, the US aerospace manufacturer owned by Elon Musk, plans to also launch a Falcon 9 rocket for NASA's TESS mission this March. According to previous statements by Musk, the development of Falcon Heavy cost around USD 500 million, CNBC reported. The Falcon Heavy costs an estimated USD 90 million per launch. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has an estimated cost per launch of USD 62 million, while its development amounted to a reported USD 300 million. The total company expenditures of SpaceX, since its 2002 establishment to the 2010 fiscal year amounted to less than USD 800 million, according to universetoday.com. This includes the development costs for the Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and the Dragon spacecraft. (Photo: SpaceX - Falcon Heavy Demo Mission/ Wikipedia) editor@romania-insider.com