Actually the excess cost is well documented and stems directly from the fact that it's a lot more complicated to rendezvous in space with a manned station where people will die if you screw it up than to simply launch a satellite into LEO. It requires an entirely different level of design and QA, up to and including multiple test flights just for that extra piece. Add to that some inherently more expensive requirements for any government launch, probably requirements that the existing oligarchy helped ensure were there. This article provides a good overview of that (https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-nasa-launch-cost-increase-reasons-2020-2018-4) And yes, that can easily triple the cost of a resupply mission vice a basic LEO launch, they're in no way apples to apples comparison.
Elon's far past the need to make money and do easy stuff. That's how he made his money initially, now he can focus on stuff that changes the world, something we can all aspire to.
Please, not this worship shit... Like making government assisted luxury cars for the rich or trying to go to Mars what is completely irrelevant, not to mention uneconomical?? Since I am nice, I won't even bring up the Solar City fiasco...(had it worked, would have changed the world) He could have made a small and cheap (under 25K) EV, probably still would have lost money, but we could say he tried to change the world. Or he could do stuff like Bill Gates does, you know saving people's lives and shit. But so far he hasn't done anything what changed the average person's live...
He's done a hell of a lot more than you and I to change the world. I very specifically didn't say solve world hunger or peace or disease, Gates is doing a great job at that last one. But if we're throwing around terms like "worship" (pretty unfair BTW given the number of times I've specifically mentioned in responses to you that the guy's a shitshow) I'll go ahead and say you'd have to be a bit of a hater to not think that gigawatts of solar installed, an electric car industry that didn't exist when Tesla started and probably wouldn't be anywhere close to where it is today without the push (who killed the electric car?), private launch capacity at a fraction of the cost and far faster turnaround almost entirely funded by private R&D dollars...all have had and will have an impact on the world. Certainly far more than "selling stuff online" which was the post I was replying to. Anyway, you must have your short back on Tesla? Good to have see your "evil Elon" gameface back!
So I still stand correct, Elon hasn't done anything (and the standard isn't you or me) what could improve the average person's life and haven't existed before. By the way I have donated blood, that helped someone's life. And please stop with the unsupported claim for huge profitability of SpaceX... Even if it was true, it doesn't improve Joe Sixpack's life.