Questions tagged [cost-to-orbit]
Questions regarding the amount of money required to send a mass into Earth orbit.
31
questions
-2
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Why was the Saturn V several times as expensive as falcon heavy despite only having twice its payload?
Saturn V could lift 140 tons to low earth orbit, Falcon Heavy can lift 64 (expendable configuration). But Saturn V cost several times more per launch. Why?
- 406
-2
votes
1
answer
388
views
Why is so much money spent on launching government communications satellites?
A lot of money is spent on launching government communications satellites that aren’t useful to the public. What is the use for these satellites and why are they considered important enough to use ...
- 406
1
vote
1
answer
129
views
How did the cost of delivery of cargo into orbit change with technology maturation?
I had an argument with my friend recently about the effect of technology maturation on spaceflight cost. In the process, I managed to find this infographic:
Image source
The trend for cost reduction ...
- 179
6
votes
1
answer
947
views
How much of the world's xenon has been used in spaceflight altogether? Is it a lot? Did it cost a lot?
This answer to Why will Starlink satellites use krypton instead of xenon for electric propulsion? says:
I expect they did the math, and found that overall cost was less, even with reduced thrust/watt ...
- 148k
13
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Has there ever been a completely solid fuelled orbital rocket? [duplicate]
Engines and fuel management are very expensive to develop, and for smaller launch providers and space agencies this could prevent them from entering the market. My question is, would the cost savings ...
- 812
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How much does smallsat launch to LEO cost?
In early 2021, SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Virgin Orbit list prices as follows:
...
- 143
1
vote
2
answers
183
views
How much easier is it, to explore space from a low orbit satellite, than from Earth?
Note: in this question I'm considering cost in both money and fuel terms, and looking for answers that consider both.
So we know that using chemical rockets to reach the moon, or further into space, ...
- 1,886
6
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Rocket fuel cost to launch 1 kg to orbit
I have 2 questions about the cost of liquid rocket fuel to launch (anything) to LEO orbit. Let's assume we use fuels used in commercial spaceflight today (probably LOX+LH2 or LOX+RP-1 etc.).
What is ...
- 1,403
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How much more cost efficent are SRB's over the main engine?
Why use SRBs instead of a simpler rocket design that dispenses with SRB's and instead has a bigger main engine?
The Saturn V escaped earth's gravity just fine without boosters. Since then though SRBs ...
- 817
1
vote
0
answers
215
views
What percentage of a satellite's total budget goes into its launch?
Been trying to do some personal market analysis of the space market, and realized that there doesn't seem to be any kind of statistic or average regarding how much percentage the launch of a satellite ...
- 1,043
3
votes
2
answers
258
views
Why L1 for sun-shading solutions to global warming?
It's been proposed to put optical elements in space to reduce sunlight coming to the earth: Realistic cost and feasibility of sun-shading?
That question states that the studies have all hypothesized ...
user687
4
votes
1
answer
319
views
Is vertical assembly worth the cost (Ariane 6)
Very recently, ESA released a new video showing the proposed Ariane 6 rocket being assembled. This mostly takes place in a large 'moveable gantry' building where the payload is placed on top of the ...
- 18k
5
votes
3
answers
683
views
Realistic cost and feasibility of sun-shading?
I got in a discussion about possible solutions for climate change and this Wiki-article on sun-shading was proposed as a alternate solution with some ideas I'd not heard of.
The cloud of small ...
- 1,784
7
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Cheapest rocket to go to space?
Have you ever heard of the old movie Salvage? The TV movie, “Salvage,” aired on January 20, 1979. The film begins with Harry successfully bidding for a vintage bi-plane and then reselling it in pieces ...
2
votes
0
answers
113
views
ISS reboost cost
The most updated data available at spaceflight.nasa.gov show that on day 361 there was a reboost:
IMPULSIVE TIG (GMT) M50 DVx(FPS) LVLH DVx(FPS) DVmag(FPS)
IMPULSIVE TIG (MET) M50 DVy(...
- 1,760
9
votes
2
answers
10k
views
How much does a cordless screwdriver for space cost?
I wonder how much a cordless space screwdriver costs and what its mass would be? I guess it would be a lithium-ion screwdriver, like on Earth, but would it have other specifications?
Does anybody ...
- 321
0
votes
1
answer
688
views
How will the BE-4 engine "Save taxpayer money"?
In this explanation of the Blue Origin BE-4 engine, the text says:
LOWEST COST
Blue Origin’s BE-4 requires NO taxpayer dollars.
Fully funded
The BE-4 is fully paid for by the private ...
- 148k
9
votes
1
answer
5k
views
What are the advantages of Delta IV over Atlas V
I have read many times that the Delta IV is more expensive to launch than the Atlas V. Outside of the Delta IV Heavy configuration, which is in a class by itself for certain payloads and missions, are ...
- 433
6
votes
1
answer
589
views
How do launch and stationkeeping fuel costs vary with altitude?
I'm not a physicist or an engineer, so my apologies if I messed up any technical details. I've looked through the SE and found a few questions that touch on this issue (this one gets at the benefits ...
- 105
4
votes
1
answer
293
views
How do ICBMs compare to civilian rockets in terms of $/kg to orbit?
In one hand, ICBMs used fancy, dangerous, poisonous chemicals as propellant. That must be more expensive as fuel, and might necessitate more expensive infrastructure than liquid hydrogen or kerosene. ...
- 54.9k
2
votes
1
answer
164
views
What would be the incremental cost of launching 1 ton of LOX/LH2 into LEO? [duplicate]
I am asking this question in a context of feasability of orbital fuel depots.
I understand that cost/kg estimates exist (2-14 k$/kg): What is the current cost-per-pound to send something into LEO? ]),...
- 41
7
votes
2
answers
783
views
Is there any possible way to reduce the cost of a manned mission to the Moon?
Say for instance if we were to build a base on the Moon, how could we possibly reduce the cost to send the parts and materials into space and off to the Moon.
- 91
15
votes
2
answers
2k
views
NASA cost estimating and Falcon 9
I have found this interesting report Commercial Market Assessment for Crew and Cargo Systems Pursuant to Section 403 of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-267), published in April 2011.
In ...
- 9,414
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Roughly what percentage (by cost) of a Rocket Launch does stage 1 of the Falcon 9 Rocket represent? [duplicate]
As of a short time ago, SpaceX made history as the first entity *ever* to successfully re-land the initial stage of an orbital rocket.
Up until this point, the dominating factor in the cost of Rocket ...
- 1,234
2
votes
1
answer
450
views
Spatial solar panels area density through history [closed]
When working on a project, it is often useful to predict what will happen in the future, 5 or 10 years from now. Past data is needed in order to extrapolate them and make accurate predictions. How can ...
- 605
7
votes
1
answer
562
views
What is the time breakdown for getting a rocket like the Falcon 9 or Atlas 5 ready for launch?
I've been looking everywhere for the detailed drivers for why it costs so much to launch cargo of any kind into LEO. From all the people I've talked with and the research through google, labor for ...
- 1,012
5
votes
1
answer
874
views
What is the cycle life of the Merlin 1D?
I was doing some back of the envelope calculations to see improvements SpaceX would have to make to reach a cost target of $100/kg into orbit. After doing some basic calculations, it seems that SpaceX ...
- 1,012
11
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Are we capable (engineering-wise) of building a spacecraft in space?
Rockets are expensive. And for the most part, one-time-use-only.
SSTO promises to change that.
However, SSTOs will have limited payload capacity (as will every launch vehicle), and eventually ...
- 1,199
9
votes
1
answer
506
views
Is access to space becoming more affordable?
Although many people have been disheartened by the lack of large scale space exploration endeavours since the Apollo program, I was wondering if there has been an appreciable decrease in the cost-per-...
- 1,622
17
votes
1
answer
37k
views
What is the current cost per kg to send something into GSO/GEO?
I was reading this article and thought it was reasonably cheap, probably because I mistook LEO for GEO.
What is the going rate to get something into GeoStationary Orbit and Geosynchronous Equatorial ...
- 2,897
12
votes
2
answers
662
views
Payload mass scale economy
What is the "payload mass" curve in relation to "cost to orbit?"
I mean: preparing a whole launch system for delivering a single cubesat to LEO would be an overkill, the cost to bring such a small ...
- 54.9k