#launchcost — Public Fediverse posts

RE: https://mastodon.social/@europeanspaceflight/116555472841414967

🇮🇹 Air-launched systems have had a complicated history. #Pegasus and #VirginOrbit’s #LauncherOne neither achieved commercial sustainability. Pegasus suffered a sharp decline in its launch cadence as customers migrated to lower-cost rideshare alternatives, and Virgin Orbit entered bankruptcy in 2023 after only six flights.

#LaunchCost #Italy

RE: https://mastodon.social/@europeanspaceflight/116555472841414967

🇮🇹 Air-launched systems have had a complicated history. #Pegasus and #VirginOrbit’s #LauncherOne neither achieved commercial sustainability. Pegasus suffered a sharp decline in its launch cadence as customers migrated to lower-cost rideshare alternatives, and Virgin Orbit entered bankruptcy in 2023 after only six flights.

#LaunchCost #Italy

RE: https://mastodon.social/@europeanspaceflight/116555472841414967

🇮🇹 Air-launched systems have had a complicated history. #Pegasus and #VirginOrbit’s #LauncherOne neither achieved commercial sustainability. Pegasus suffered a sharp decline in its launch cadence as customers migrated to lower-cost rideshare alternatives, and Virgin Orbit entered bankruptcy in 2023 after only six flights.

#LaunchCost #Italy

RE: https://mastodon.social/@europeanspaceflight/116555472841414967

🇮🇹 Air-launched systems have had a complicated history. #Pegasus and #VirginOrbit’s #LauncherOne neither achieved commercial sustainability. Pegasus suffered a sharp decline in its launch cadence as customers migrated to lower-cost rideshare alternatives, and Virgin Orbit entered bankruptcy in 2023 after only six flights.

#LaunchCost #Italy

RE: https://mastodon.social/@europeanspaceflight/116555472841414967

🇮🇹 Air-launched systems have had a complicated history. #Pegasus and #VirginOrbit’s #LauncherOne neither achieved commercial sustainability. Pegasus suffered a sharp decline in its launch cadence as customers migrated to lower-cost rideshare alternatives, and Virgin Orbit entered bankruptcy in 2023 after only six flights.

#LaunchCost #Italy

#Vulcan’s future might be constrained. As competition intensifies, with the potential for #SpaceX to lower prices in response, Vulcan could face challenges in remaining cost-competitive. We witness the possibility of an era’s conclusion, observing the launch of massive, #expensive rockets — a spectacle that may be replaced by more economically #efficient alternatives in the aerospace industry https://everydayastronaut.com/how-does-ulas-vulcan-compare-to-the-competition/

#LaunchCost

#Vulcan’s future might be constrained. As competition intensifies, with the potential for #SpaceX to lower prices in response, Vulcan could face challenges in remaining cost-competitive. We witness the possibility of an era’s conclusion, observing the launch of massive, #expensive rockets — a spectacle that may be replaced by more economically #efficient alternatives in the aerospace industry https://everydayastronaut.com/how-does-ulas-vulcan-compare-to-the-competition/

#LaunchCost

#Vulcan’s future might be constrained. As competition intensifies, with the potential for #SpaceX to lower prices in response, Vulcan could face challenges in remaining cost-competitive. We witness the possibility of an era’s conclusion, observing the launch of massive, #expensive rockets — a spectacle that may be replaced by more economically #efficient alternatives in the aerospace industry https://everydayastronaut.com/how-does-ulas-vulcan-compare-to-the-competition/

#LaunchCost

#Vulcan’s future might be constrained. As competition intensifies, with the potential for #SpaceX to lower prices in response, Vulcan could face challenges in remaining cost-competitive. We witness the possibility of an era’s conclusion, observing the launch of massive, #expensive rockets — a spectacle that may be replaced by more economically #efficient alternatives in the aerospace industry https://everydayastronaut.com/how-does-ulas-vulcan-compare-to-the-competition/

#LaunchCost

#Vulcan’s future might be constrained. As competition intensifies, with the potential for #SpaceX to lower prices in response, Vulcan could face challenges in remaining cost-competitive. We witness the possibility of an era’s conclusion, observing the launch of massive, #expensive rockets — a spectacle that may be replaced by more economically #efficient alternatives in the aerospace industry https://everydayastronaut.com/how-does-ulas-vulcan-compare-to-the-competition/

#LaunchCost

RE: https://mastodon.social/@europeanspaceflight/116475858483213797

The clearest price comparison for a #VegaC 🇪🇺 launch is India’s 🇮🇳 #PSLV rocket, which has a comparable payload capacity to #LEO. The figure is less than half 📊 the stated sticker price of a Vega C flight.

#ESA #Arianespace #LaunchCost #transparency

First flight of #Soyuz 5 Thursday April 30, 2026 https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/3945/

@sciguyspace : "#China 🇨🇳 has an increasing number of commercial options, #India’s 🇮🇳 launch offerings are growing as well. For any company or country concerned about price, #Russia 🇷🇺 can’t beat the reusable #Falcon9 booster" https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/11/after-a-decade-russias-native-built-soyuz-5-rocket-finally-reaches-the-launch-site/

#Ariane6 🇪🇺 "ArianeGroup is still trying to catch up to where the bleeding edge of the launch industry was 10 or 15 years ago" https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/esa-considers-righting-the-wrongs-of-ariane-6-by-turning-it-into-a-franken-rocket/

#LaunchCost #SpaceX

RE: https://spacey.space/@spaceflight/116289316448997356

#Starship #LaunchCost

🇮🇳 #India spent $74m on the #Mars orbiter #Mangalyaan and $75m on #Chandrayaan3 – less than the $100m spent on the #SciFi thriller Gravity https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9xlgnnpzvo
#Gaganyaan #LVM3 #LaunchCost (to #LEO) ~$48 million 💵 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LVM3#Human-rating_certification, total budget ~$2.4 billion, four missions scheduled by 2026 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaganyaan#Funding_and_project_expansion

#Artemis I, Artemis II, and Artemis III are all $4 billion 💰 a launch 🚀 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System#Launch_costs

#HumanSpaceflight

🇮🇳 #India spent $74m on the #Mars orbiter #Mangalyaan and $75m on #Chandrayaan3 – less than the $100m spent on the #SciFi thriller Gravity https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9xlgnnpzvo
#Gaganyaan #LVM3 #LaunchCost (to #LEO) ~$48 million 💵 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LVM3#Human-rating_certification, total budget ~$2.4 billion, four missions scheduled by 2026 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaganyaan#Funding_and_project_expansion

#Artemis I, Artemis II, and Artemis III are all $4 billion 💰 a launch 🚀 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System#Launch_costs

#HumanSpaceflight

🇮🇳 #India spent $74m on the #Mars orbiter #Mangalyaan and $75m on #Chandrayaan3 – less than the $100m spent on the #SciFi thriller Gravity https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9xlgnnpzvo
#Gaganyaan #LVM3 #LaunchCost (to #LEO) ~$48 million 💵 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LVM3#Human-rating_certification, total budget ~$2.4 billion, four missions scheduled by 2026 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaganyaan#Funding_and_project_expansion

#Artemis I, Artemis II, and Artemis III are all $4 billion 💰 a launch 🚀 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System#Launch_costs

#HumanSpaceflight

🇮🇳 #India spent $74m on the #Mars orbiter #Mangalyaan and $75m on #Chandrayaan3 – less than the $100m spent on the #SciFi thriller Gravity https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9xlgnnpzvo
#Gaganyaan #LVM3 #LaunchCost (to #LEO) ~$48 million 💵 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LVM3#Human-rating_certification, total budget ~$2.4 billion, four missions scheduled by 2026 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaganyaan#Funding_and_project_expansion

#Artemis I, Artemis II, and Artemis III are all $4 billion 💰 a launch 🚀 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System#Launch_costs

#HumanSpaceflight

🇮🇳 #India spent $74m on the #Mars orbiter #Mangalyaan and $75m on #Chandrayaan3 – less than the $100m spent on the #SciFi thriller Gravity https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9xlgnnpzvo
#Gaganyaan #LVM3 #LaunchCost (to #LEO) ~$48 million 💵 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LVM3#Human-rating_certification, total budget ~$2.4 billion, four missions scheduled by 2026 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaganyaan#Funding_and_project_expansion

#Artemis I, Artemis II, and Artemis III are all $4 billion 💰 a launch 🚀 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System#Launch_costs

#HumanSpaceflight

A rough estimate for a lunar #Dragon mission could be $500-750 million 💵, compared to the current $4.1 billion 💰 for an #SLS/#Orion launch https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2025/02/replacing-sls-with-spacex-falcon-heavy-or-new-glenn-for-lunar-flyby.html

#Artemis #LaunchCost

RE: https://mastodon.social/@europeanspaceflight/116373289477202619

#ESA’s disclosure marks the first public indication of #Ariane 62 launch pricing, enabling a more direct comparison with other launch systems such as #Falcon9 (which can lift roughly twice the payload of Ariane 62 to #LEO).

@europeanspaceflight
#Ariane62 "€82 million" vs. €100 million ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariane_6
#Falcon9 "€90 million" vs. US$ 69.85 million ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9

#LaunchCost #accounting

Space-based #solar ☀️ power : #ScienceFiction author Isaac #Asimov popularised the idea in 📆 1941. Advances in #robotics, wireless power transmission and sharply falling #LaunchCost are narrowing the gap between concept and reality https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347692/why-chinas-space-based-solar-power-next-frontier-green-energy

#SBSP

Space-based #solar ☀️ power : #ScienceFiction author Isaac #Asimov popularised the idea in 📆 1941. Advances in #robotics, wireless power transmission and sharply falling #LaunchCost are narrowing the gap between concept and reality https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347692/why-chinas-space-based-solar-power-next-frontier-green-energy

#SBSP

Space-based #solar ☀️ power : #ScienceFiction author Isaac #Asimov popularised the idea in 📆 1941. Advances in #robotics, wireless power transmission and sharply falling #LaunchCost are narrowing the gap between concept and reality https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347692/why-chinas-space-based-solar-power-next-frontier-green-energy

#SBSP

Space-based #solar ☀️ power : #ScienceFiction author Isaac #Asimov popularised the idea in 📆 1941. Advances in #robotics, wireless power transmission and sharply falling #LaunchCost are narrowing the gap between concept and reality https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347692/why-chinas-space-based-solar-power-next-frontier-green-energy

#SBSP

Space-based #solar ☀️ power : #ScienceFiction author Isaac #Asimov popularised the idea in 📆 1941. Advances in #robotics, wireless power transmission and sharply falling #LaunchCost are narrowing the gap between concept and reality https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347692/why-chinas-space-based-solar-power-next-frontier-green-energy

#SBSP

#FalconHeavy has a cost per kilogram to #LEO of approximately $1,400 💵 per kg. The cost per kilogram to orbit using the #SpaceX #Starship is approximately $94 🪙 https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2025/01/spacex-starship-roadmap-to-100-times-lower-cost-launch.html

#LaunchCost

"...a single #Artemis launch at least $4.2 billion" 💰💰💰💰#NASA Office of Inspector General May 25, 2023 https://oig.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IG-23-015.pdf (page 14/20)

#LaunchCost #SLS

For $90 million, in one single launch, Voyager will put in orbit a #SpaceStation with 400 cubic meters of volume, able to support 100% of the work that's currently being done aboard #ISS https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/03/21/how-much-will-a-spacex-starship-launch-cost/

#Starlab #Starship #LaunchCost #SpaceX

RE: https://mastodon.social/@europeanspaceflight/116250688344759761

#ESA would offer an incentive of up to €50 million 💰 to encourage the usage of #Ariane6 or another European 🇪🇺 launch vehicle

#LaunchCost #subsidies

@euspa* says they have no idea about the #Ariane6 costs 🤔🙈 https://fragdenstaat.de/dokumente/275068-replytoaccdocrequest-2026-1_geschwaerzt/

Such as
• Standard launch costs for Ariane 6 (per variant)
• The launch price for #Amazon
• The amount of #subsidies 💰 per launch, including and excluding development costs

* "charged with advancing the #commercialisation and market uptake of #EU 🇪🇺 Space data and services" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_Agency_for_the_Space_Programme#Overview

#LaunchCost #Europe #Democracy #Transparency

@isaackuo I presume the majority of manufacturing will be #robotic, but they predict a market "from mining and construction to #hospitality" https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/industrial-products/library/space-industry-trends.html. There are enough potential "first customers" for #SpaceTourism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_billionaires and just as in aviation #LaunchCost prices will fall (as soon as enough human-rated rockets are available). There are at least several dozen companies which believe in business potential https://www.factoriesinspace.com/space-stations

#NewGlenn is giving the #Falcon9 and especially the #FalconHeavy a run for its money. #Starship's low launch costs, high cadence, and massive payload bay could turn the industry on its head https://spaceinsider.tech/2025/01/10/new-glenn-vs-starship-a-detailed-comparison-in-2025

Until Starship begins commercial operations, New Glenn’s 7-m-diameter 📏 fairing may be the best option for customers whose spacecraft don’t fit in the roughly 5 m fairings of Falcons and #ULA’s #Vulcan, or to launch more spacecraft at a time https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/two-launches-two-companies-two-billionaires

#LaunchCost

@60sRefugee Some are just waiting for lower #LaunchCost https://www.factoriesinspace.com/space-resources

🚀 #LaunchCost

#NewGlenn:
#Arianespace estimated the launch price to be around $68 million. This would give it the price-per-kilo ratio of $1,511/kg (#SpaceX’s #Falcon9 sits at about $3,986/kg with a fat profit margin).

#Starship is estimated to cost $100 million a pop, but Musk estimates launch costs could drop to $10 million (or even less). How much SpaceX plans to charge customers per flight is still unclear https://spaceinsider.tech/2025/01/10/new-glenn-vs-starship-a-detailed-comparison-in-2025/

#SLS payload to trans-lunar injection

Block 1 : 27t
Block 1B : 42t
Block 2 : 46t

#LaunchCost ~$4 billion 💰💰💰💰 a launch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System#Launch_costs or see above ☝️

Configurations : https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sls_lift_capabilities_and_configurations_508_08202018_0.pdf

#VegaC launch for #Korea's 🇰🇷 #KOMPSAT 7 #satellite Monday December 1, 2025 06:21 PM (CET) from Guiana Space Centre* https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/1929/ #LaunchCost unknown.

* 🗺️ https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=Ensemble+de+Lancement+Vega&layer=OpenStreetMap

#Avio is in the process of developing a new upper stage engine to replace the #Ukrainian 🇺🇦 -made #RD843 engine currently being utilized https://europeanspaceflight.com/avio-plans-introduction-of-vega-next-rocket-beyond-2032/

#VegaC launch for #Korea's 🇰🇷 #KOMPSAT 7 #satellite Monday December 1, 2025 06:21 PM (CET) from Guiana Space Centre* https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/1929/ #LaunchCost unknown.

* 🗺️ https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=Ensemble+de+Lancement+Vega&layer=OpenStreetMap

#Avio is in the process of developing a new upper stage engine to replace the #Ukrainian 🇺🇦 -made #RD843 engine currently being utilized https://europeanspaceflight.com/avio-plans-introduction-of-vega-next-rocket-beyond-2032/

#VegaC launch for #Korea's 🇰🇷 #KOMPSAT 7 #satellite Monday December 1, 2025 06:21 PM (CET) from Guiana Space Centre* https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/1929/ #LaunchCost unknown.

* 🗺️ https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=Ensemble+de+Lancement+Vega&layer=OpenStreetMap

#Avio is in the process of developing a new upper stage engine to replace the #Ukrainian 🇺🇦 -made #RD843 engine currently being utilized https://europeanspaceflight.com/avio-plans-introduction-of-vega-next-rocket-beyond-2032/

#VegaC launch for #Korea's 🇰🇷 #KOMPSAT 7 #satellite Monday December 1, 2025 06:21 PM (CET) from Guiana Space Centre* https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/1929/ #LaunchCost unknown.

* 🗺️ https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=Ensemble+de+Lancement+Vega&layer=OpenStreetMap

#Avio is in the process of developing a new upper stage engine to replace the #Ukrainian 🇺🇦 -made #RD843 engine currently being utilized https://europeanspaceflight.com/avio-plans-introduction-of-vega-next-rocket-beyond-2032/

#VegaC launch for #Korea's 🇰🇷 #KOMPSAT 7 #satellite Monday December 1, 2025 06:21 PM (CET) from Guiana Space Centre* https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/1929/ #LaunchCost unknown.

* 🗺️ https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=Ensemble+de+Lancement+Vega&layer=OpenStreetMap

#Avio is in the process of developing a new upper stage engine to replace the #Ukrainian 🇺🇦 -made #RD843 engine currently being utilized https://europeanspaceflight.com/avio-plans-introduction-of-vega-next-rocket-beyond-2032/

🇮🇳 The #Agnibaan rocket engine can be 3D-printed in under 72 hours. Agnibaan is designed to carry payloads of up to 100 kg to #LEO with #LaunchCost under $10 million https://engineerine.com/indias-3d-printed-rocket/

📆 Nov 23, 2025 #AgnikulCosmos has raised $17 million 💰 at $500 million valuation. In May 2024, Agnikul completed its first space flight from its own private launch pad, and aims to achieve full rocket #reusability ♻️ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/agnikul-raises-17-mn-at-500-mn-valuation-to-focus-on-orbital-launch-booster-recovery/articleshow/125515987.cms

#India #SpaceCompany

🇮🇳 The #Agnibaan rocket engine can be 3D-printed in under 72 hours. Agnibaan is designed to carry payloads of up to 100 kg to #LEO with #LaunchCost under $10 million https://engineerine.com/indias-3d-printed-rocket/

📆 Nov 23, 2025 #AgnikulCosmos has raised $17 million 💰 at $500 million valuation. In May 2024, Agnikul completed its first space flight from its own private launch pad, and aims to achieve full rocket #reusability ♻️ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/agnikul-raises-17-mn-at-500-mn-valuation-to-focus-on-orbital-launch-booster-recovery/articleshow/125515987.cms

#India #SpaceCompany

🇮🇳 The #Agnibaan rocket engine can be 3D-printed in under 72 hours. Agnibaan is designed to carry payloads of up to 100 kg to #LEO with #LaunchCost under $10 million https://engineerine.com/indias-3d-printed-rocket/

📆 Nov 23, 2025 #AgnikulCosmos has raised $17 million 💰 at $500 million valuation. In May 2024, Agnikul completed its first space flight from its own private launch pad, and aims to achieve full rocket #reusability ♻️ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/agnikul-raises-17-mn-at-500-mn-valuation-to-focus-on-orbital-launch-booster-recovery/articleshow/125515987.cms

#India #SpaceCompany

🇮🇳 The #Agnibaan rocket engine can be 3D-printed in under 72 hours. Agnibaan is designed to carry payloads of up to 100 kg to #LEO with #LaunchCost under $10 million https://engineerine.com/indias-3d-printed-rocket/

📆 Nov 23, 2025 #AgnikulCosmos has raised $17 million 💰 at $500 million valuation. In May 2024, Agnikul completed its first space flight from its own private launch pad, and aims to achieve full rocket #reusability ♻️ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/agnikul-raises-17-mn-at-500-mn-valuation-to-focus-on-orbital-launch-booster-recovery/articleshow/125515987.cms

#India #SpaceCompany

🇮🇳 The #Agnibaan rocket engine can be 3D-printed in under 72 hours. Agnibaan is designed to carry payloads of up to 100 kg to #LEO with #LaunchCost under $10 million https://engineerine.com/indias-3d-printed-rocket/

📆 Nov 23, 2025 #AgnikulCosmos has raised $17 million 💰 at $500 million valuation. In May 2024, Agnikul completed its first space flight from its own private launch pad, and aims to achieve full rocket #reusability ♻️ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/agnikul-raises-17-mn-at-500-mn-valuation-to-focus-on-orbital-launch-booster-recovery/articleshow/125515987.cms

#India #SpaceCompany

#BlueOrigin will “compete” two solutions

• make the expendable 🗑️ upper stage so cheap 💵 to manufacture that a reusable stage can never compete with it
• make the reusable ♻️ stage so operable that an expendable stage can never compete with it

There is still a lot of room with these heavy lift vehicles to reduce #cost 📉 even further https://arstechnica.com/features/2025/01/after-the-success-of-new-glenn-blue-origin-to-focus-on-launching-frequently

#LaunchCost #reusability

#BlueOrigin is charging roughly $110 million per launch, compared to about $70 million for a #Falcon9 – effectively offering to carry twice as many satellites for roughly 50% more money https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2025/01/11/new-glenn-bezos-blue-origin-musk-spacex/

#NewGlenn #LaunchCost

📆 2022 : People writing about #SpaceExploration are mostly cheerleaders 🥳 for the cause, rather than independent observers keeping a watchful eye 👀 on how our national monies 💰 are spent https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2022/06/23/new-book-paints-bleak-picture-of-nasas-human-spaceflight-program/

#LoriGarver #LaunchCost #reusability

📆 2022 : People writing about #SpaceExploration are mostly cheerleaders 🥳 for the cause, rather than independent observers keeping a watchful eye 👀 on how our national monies 💰 are spent https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2022/06/23/new-book-paints-bleak-picture-of-nasas-human-spaceflight-program/

#LoriGarver #LaunchCost #reusability

📆 2022 : People writing about #SpaceExploration are mostly cheerleaders 🥳 for the cause, rather than independent observers keeping a watchful eye 👀 on how our national monies 💰 are spent https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2022/06/23/new-book-paints-bleak-picture-of-nasas-human-spaceflight-program/

#LoriGarver #LaunchCost #reusability