Elon Musk Dissects Falcon Heavy Angst and Sweet Smell of Success - WSJ

See Elon Musk wants 'a new space race,' says new SpaceX rocket can launch payloads as far as Pluto (CNBC) for additional details

"In the past, Mr. Musk has indicated SpaceX spent nearly $1 billion to develop the rocket. On Tuesday, he said the cost ended up “a lot more than I’d like to admit.“ But in his latest estimate, he pegged it at “half a billion [dollars] or more.”

Speaking more broadly about the state of commercial space ventures, SpaceX’s chief didn’t respond directly to a question about whether he felt he was competing against fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos, the founder of  Amazon.com Inc., who also has set his sights on eventually transporting large numbers of people deep into space. But Mr. Musk said he hoped Falcon Heavy’s initial success will “encourage other countries and companies to raise their sights” regarding space endeavors.

“We want a new space race,” he said with a chuckle. “Races are exciting.”"

Elon Musk Dissects Falcon Heavy Angst and Sweet Smell of Success - WSJ