OK, so SpaceX want to get NASA to pay for this.  Is that in NASA&#x27;s budget?<p>2018 with a Falcon Heavy is optimistic. The first flight of the Falcon Heavy isn&#x27;t expected until 2017.  Last year, the first flight was scheduled for spring 2016, but it&#x27;s slipped to the &quot;end of 2016&quot;, which means 2017 in SpaceX time.<p>Space-X needs to get those paid Falcon 9 launches going faster. That&#x27;s the revenue generator.  They&#x27;re a year behind on launches, and they&#x27;ve been losing unhappy customers to Arianespace. The Brownsville launch site project is way behind schedule; they&#x27;re building on sandy soil (what did they expect on the east coast of Texas?) and have delayed a year or two for soil compaction.<p>It&#x27;s great to have an ambitious program, but the profitable products have to ship.