SpaceX just raised its Falcon 9 launch price to $74 million, up from $69.75 million. They also increased ride-share pricing to $7,000 per kg. The move comes while their main US competitor, ULA (a Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture), has its Vulcan Centaur rocket grounded by the Space Force due to parts falling off during recent flights. Even after the price hike, SpaceX still significantly undercuts ULA and Ariane 6, which both charge around $110 million per launch. The higher pricing gives small rocket competitors like Rocket Lab and Firefly a bit of breathing room, though SpaceX remains the cheapest option. This looks like a direct move to expand profit margins just before SpaceX's expected IPO this summer. Analysts recently bumped their valuation estimates from $1.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion based on these wider margins.