Comparative cost of launching payloads into space on different launch systems
6:13 21/09/2017
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The cost of delivering goods into orbit in different sources is quite different. Often figures are given in different currencies, refer to different years (the year determines both inflation and the world situation of the cost of launches), relate to launches into different orbits, some of the figures characterize the cost of launching on the fact of the “dry” cost of the rocket, other sources give the cost of starting for the customer, while the source does not explain which of the figures is given. The cost of terrestrial services is not taken into account on a regular basis, let alone insurance, the cost of which can be very different depending on the missile failure statistics. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully compare the cost of launching the launcher, and in the open information one can see only approximate values.
*The page is updated as information appears in open sources.
Modern launch systems:
| Cost of cargo delivery to orbit | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket | Cost, dollars per kg | Cost of launch, million dollars | Carrying capacity, tons | Notes | ||||||
 «Zenit-3SL»
(Expendable launch system) |
4 000(LEO) | 60 | 15(LEO) | The price for 2013 could have changed. | ||||||
| «Zenit-3SLB»
(Expendable launch system) |
16 000(GTO) | 60 | 3,75(GTO) | The price for 2013 could have changed. | ||||||
| «Zenit-3F» («Zenit-2SB»)
(Expendable launch system) |
15 000(GTO) | 60 | 4(GTO) | The price for 2013 could have changed. | ||||||
 «Rokot»
(Expendable launch system) |
19 442-22 976(LEO) | 41,8 | 1,82-2,15(LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
| «Souz-FG»
(Expendable launch system) |
5 610-5 891(LEO) | 40 | 7,13-6,79(LEO) | The price for 2000 could have changed. | ||||||
| «Souz-2.1a»
(Expendable launch system) |
6 736-8 660 | 48,5 | 7,2-5,6 | Price with Frigate space tug | ||||||
| «Souz-2.1b»
(Expendable launch system) |
5 878-53 888 | 48,5 | 8,25-0,9 | Price with Frigate space tug | ||||||
| «Souz-2.1v»
(Expendable launch system) |
4 603-9 006 | 10,5-14,5 | 3,15-1,61 | The price for 2013 could have changed. The price is 14.5 million with a space tug | ||||||
| «Souz-ST-B»
(Expendable launch system) |
16 495(LEO) | 80 | 4,85(LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
| «Angara-1.2»
(Expendable launch system) |
13 157(LEO) | 50 | 3,8(LEO) | The price for 2014 could have changed. | ||||||
| «Angara-A5»
(Expendable launch system) |
5 714(LEO)
30 434(GTO) |
140 | 24,5(LEO)
4,6 (GTO) |
The price for 2014 could have changed. | ||||||
| «Proton-М»
(Expendable launch system) |
2 826(LEO) | 65 | 23 (LEO) | $ 80 million (with the Breeze-M space tug)
According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. |
||||||
 «Pegasus XL»
(Expendable launch system) |
88 889(LEO) | 40 | 0,450 (LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
| «Minotaur-C»
(Expendable launch system) |
31 299-34 294 (LEO) | 40-50 | 1,278-1458 (LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
| «Minotaur IV»
(Expendable launch system) |
28 571 (LEO)
47 619 (SSO) |
50 | 1,75 (LEO) 1,05 (SSO) |
The price for 2010 could have changed. | ||||||
| «Atlas V»
(Expendable launch system) |
9 514-16 866 (LEO) | 137-179 | 8,123-18,814 (LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
| «Delta II»
(Expendable launch system) |
25 925-11 475(LEO) 77 777-32 258(GTO) |
70 | 2,7-6,1 (LEO) 0,9-2,17 (GTO) |
The global financial crisis of 2008 also affected the cost of «Delta II». In the fourth quarter of 2008, the cost of launching the rocket was estimated by the FAA at $ 50 million, and in the report for the first quarter of 2009, the cost estimate increased to $ 60-70 million. | ||||||
| «Delta IV»
(Expendable launch system) |
13 894-17 410(LEO) | 164-400 | 9,42-28,79 (LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
| «Falcon-9» FT
(Reusable launch system) |
2 280(LEO) | 52 | 22,8 (LEO) |
According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2019. |
||||||
| «Falcon Heavy»
(Reusable launch system) |
5 474-2 194(LEO) 16 363-5 243(GTO) |
90-140 | 16,44-63,8(LEO) 5,5-26,7(GTO) |
The cost, depending on the possibility of returning the stages | ||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
12 879-12 903(LEO) | 80-85 | 6,2-6,6(LEO) | For the time being it is only used to launch automated cargo spacecraft “Cygnus” to the ISS
According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. |
||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
18 849(LEO) | 37 | 1,963(LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
![22px-Flag_of_Europe.svg[1]](https://aboutspacejornal.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/22px-Flag_of_Europe.svg1_.png){kind=small} «Ariane 5»
(Expendable launch system) |
8 476 (LEO) |
178 | 21(LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
 PSLV
(Expendable launch system) |
6 462-9 538(LEO) | 21-31 | 3,25(LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
| GSLV Mk.II
(Expendable launch system) |
9 400(LEO) | 47 | 5 (LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
875 000(LEO) | 3,5 | 0,004 (LEO) | |||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
25 333(LEO) | 38 | 1,5 (LEO) | |||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
6 818-9 000(LEO) | 90-112.5 | 10-16,5 (LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
21 777-29 333(LEO)
32,666-44 000(SSO) |
4,9-6,6 | 0,225(LEO)
0,150(SSO) |
The reason for this variation in the launch price is not specified, but it is known that the standard flight will accommodate two 12U, four 6U, ten 3U and four 1U-CubeSats with a total launch cost of about $ 6.5 million. | ||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
20 000(LEO)
30 000(SSO) |
6 | 0,3(LEO)
0,2(SSO) |
|||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
7 792(LEO)
24 000(GTO) |
30 | 3,85(LEO)
1,25(GTO) |
The price for 2006 could have changed. | ||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
8 571(LEO) | 30 | 3,5(LEO) | According to the United States Government Accountability Office of 2017. | ||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
5 833(LEO)
35 000(GTO) |
70 | 12(LEO)
2(GTO) |
The price for 2012 could have changed. | ||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
7 692(LEO)
18 421(GTO) |
70 | 9,1(LEO)
3,8(GTO) |
|||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
10 000(LEO)
28 000(GTO) |
42 | 4,2(LEO)
1,5(GTO) |
The price for 2006 could have changed. | ||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
?(LEO)
?(GTO) |
? | 4,2(LEO)
1,5(GTO) |
|||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
6 000(LEO)
33 333(GTO) |
150 | 25(LEO)
4,5(GTO) |
The information was published in the Chinese forum (requires verification) | ||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
?(LEO) | ? | 1,5(LEO) | |||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
5 914(LEO)
14 545(GTO) |
80 | 13,525(LEO)
5,5(GTO) |
|||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
? (LEO)
? (GTO) |
? | 0,7(LEO)
0,35(GTO) |
|||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
57 142(PO) | 20 | 0,35(PO) | |||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
? | ? | ? | |||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
?(LEO) | ? | 0,1(LEO) | |||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
?(LEO) | ? | 0,068-0,59(LEO) | |||||||
Advanced launch systems:
| Cost of cargo delivery to orbit | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket | Cost, dollars per kg | Cost of launch, million dollars | Carrying capacity, tons | Notes | ||||||
| «Souz-5»
(Expendable launch system) |
3 294(LEO) | 56 | 17(LEO) | |||||||
| «Astra»
(Expendable launch system) |
?(LEO) | ? | 0,1(LEO) | |||||||
| «Firefly Alpha»
(одноразовая ракета-носитель) |
15 000(LEO) | 15 | 1(LEO) | |||||||
| «Firefly Beta»
(одноразовая ракета-носитель) |
?(LEO) | ? | 4(LEO) | |||||||
| «Vector-R»
(Expendable launch system) |
50 000(LEO) | 3 | 0,06(LEO) | |||||||
| Space Launch System
(Expendable launch system) |
3 802-7 352(LEO) | 500 | 68-131,5(LEO) | The system in the basic version will be able to output 68 tons of cargo to the reference orbit. The design of the launch vehicle provides for the possibility of increasing this parameter to 131.5 tons in the enhanced version. | ||||||
| «Vulcan»
(Partially reusable launch system) |
?(LEO) ?(GTO) |
99 | ?(LEO) ?(GTO) |
$ 99 million for the Vulcan base rocket without using solid-fuel rocket boosters. | ||||||
| «New Glenn»
(Reusable launch system) |
?(LEO) ?(GTO) |
? | 45(LEO) 13(GTO) |
|||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
10 000(LEO)
15 000(SSO) |
15 | 1,5(LEO)
1(SSO) |
|||||||
|
(Expendable launch system) |
?(LEO)
?(GTO) |
? | 130(LEO)
50(GTO) |
|||||||
| «Ariane-6»
(Expendable launch system) |
4 500(LEO) | 90 | 20(LEO) | |||||||
| «Ciclone-4M»
(Expendable launch system) |
12 162(LEO) 15 000(GTO) |
45 | 3,7(LEO) 3(GTO) |
|||||||
Notes:
Read the report United States Government Accountability Office
LEO – low Earth orbit
GTO – geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit
PO – polar orbit
SSO – Sun-synchronous orbit