To our knowledge, this is the first such comprehensive database of launch companies to provide thorough, unbiased, and detailed information in a fully interactive and downloadable format, for public consumption. Developing PROTEUS, an innovative hybrid and autonomous launcher for small sats, Providing launch services via HABs and sounding rockets, Long range heavy lift aircraft horizontal launches, Developing Infinity, a small reusable rocket, Developing high-performance, low carbon micro launch vehicles, Developing electromagnetic launch systems to change how we launch payloads into space, Developing a proposed "railway" to space that is safer, cheaper, and greener than rockets, Building a ballooning platform to offer novel access to the mesosphere, Aiming to provide affordable space tourism and rocket launch services, Dedicated to providing frequent and reliable space access, Disrupting space launch with a new kinetic launch system, Vertically launching low-cost orbital payloads from the UK, Designer of low-weight, low-cost satellites and small launching vehicles, SpaceBox is a suborbital launch and recovery platform designed to enable affordable access to space for educational, professional, consumer and hobbyist payloads, Making access to space widely available, less constrained and more efficient, Developing technology for cost effective, reliable, and frequent access to space, Developing the Otis electric vehicle for civil space transportation, Developing a solution for quick missions to LEO, Designing a single stage to orbit hypersonic vehicle of revolutionary design and propulsion capability, Building a single-stage to orbit launch system dedicated to small payloads, Developing an eco friendly, electromagnetic space launch system, Developing the Cheetah small launch vehicle, Aiming to provide orbital launches of small satellites for the most affordable prices, Rocketsan is developing a micro-satellite launch system for the Turkish government, Developing a reusable launch vehicle named Tianmeng, Working on a very low-cost Launcher to LEO, Building low cost, single stage and highly reusable launch vehicles, Customized launch services for sub-orbital and orbital payloads, Launching small satellites into space using high altitude balloons, Creating a dedicated, reusable, and low-cost suborbital rocket, Developing the UKs first commercially operated horizontal launch company for small to medium size satellites, Developing a hybrid, modular, affordable & air-launched rocket system that uses electric landing for reusability, Developing SOL ASPIRET, a suborbital spaceplane, Bringing about the next generation of low-cost, reusable launch vehicles, Developing a balloon-launched vehicle for smallsat payloads, Developing a unique seaborne launch system, Personalized engineering support and dedicated airborne orbital launch platform, Ultra low-cost rockets and satellite deployment, Revolutionizing near space tourism and opening it to a greater audience, Developing a reliable tow-glider launch system, Affordable and reliable small satellite launch system for LEO, SSO, and GEO missions, Developing a fleet of hybrid rockets for micro launch, Aiming to innovate space exploration technologies to deliver efficient and cost effective solutions for humanity, Developing single stage to orbit, fixed wing, hypersonic aircraft, Creating the small-sat launch vehicle of the future, Building light, two-stage rockets for small satellite launch, Cheaper access to space for nanosatellite payloads, Developing a novel, reusable hypersonic and space launch system, Developing exciting new space technologies, Developing a three-stage solid-propellant launch vehicle, Developing a reusable two-stage orbital-class launch vehicle, Striving to design, build, and launch rockets, in and from Canada, Developing the Phoenix small launch vehicle, Developing the Trans-Atmospheric Flight Vehicle (TAV 1), Hypersonic Delivery Systems: Suborbital & Orbital Missions, Developing suborbital and orbital launch vehicles, Developing a series of Launch Vehicles based on high-altitude air launch, Building a hypersonic space plane that can takeoff from anywhere in any weather, Developing the Space Jet air-launch platform, Developing a unique launch vehicle and propulsion system, Building a space launch system for sending hardened satellites and bulk cargo into space, Designing the Montenegro nanolauncher for launches at a very competitive price, The Dynamics Enhanced Launch Vehicle is designed for a life of over 400 reuses with very minimal maintenance and rapid turnarounds, Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) rocket leveraging aerospike engine technology launching to low earth orbit, Providing rapid response small satellite launch vehicles for government and commercial customers, Provding dedicated launch services for cube and nanosatellites, Developing the Horizontal Takeoff Horizontal Landing (HTHL) AstroClipper for the future of commercial space transportation, Developing the Advanced Cryognic Expendable (ACE) launch vehicle, Developing a next generation of reusable launch vehicles for microgravity research. Using a market price of $0.10 per kilowatt-hour, what would be the cost of launching a 70-kg adult into LEO? And instead of developing the Merlin engines from clean-sheet, SpaceX leveraged an existing NASA design: the Fastrac engine. A Falcon Heavy launch vehicle from SpaceX. While in the near term, offerings like on-orbit servicing for satellite life extension (Northrop Grumman, Space Logistics), propellant refueling depots (OrbitFab), and space situational awareness benefits the Space for Earth constellation operators, long-term these are the building blocks of a robust Space for Space infrastructure. (A comment on the growing earth observation market its 1/10th the size of the opportunity in telecommunications.). Of those, 32 launches were American and 26 belonged to SpaceX's Falcon 9 . Learn more about how passionate about stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and life extension therapies. He has also worked for the Launch costs have been pretty much the same since the earliest days of space exploration, mostly due to an unchanging underlying technology: chemical rockets. Developing reusable launch vehicle technology for orbital payloads in China, Building up Canada's NewSpace industry as the first private launch provider in Canso, Nova Scotia, Launch services for small, micro and nano satellites, Developing the sea-launched Gravity-1 vehicle, Developing a fully-reusable suborbital spacecraft, Developing Blue Whale 1, a micro launch vehicle, Developing the re-usable Skylon spaceplane powered by SABRE propulsion, Offering hassle-free space transportation to dedicated orbits, Building technologies for responsive, reliable and economic access to space, Building a reusable three-person rocket ship for space tourism, Sugarhouse Aerospace is built on a simple idea - space shouldn't be reserved for governments and billionaires, Offering flexible launch capability with a cycle of less than thirty days to build, integrate, and launch, Developing scalable and sustainable space transportation technology to become the backbone of the near space economy, Committed to reducing the cost of entering space via reusable launch products, Providing passengers with a trip into the stratosphere, Selling reusable launch vehicles for small, sub-orbital scientific/experimental payloads, Developing the ERIS launch vehicles to provide reliable and cost-effective access to space, Applying autonomous technology to develop a resuable small rocket, Lowering the entry barriers to space and making space access affordable and sustainable, Buildig the Xogdor rocket to test payloads at supersonic speeds and at the edge of space, Building a private 3-stage nanosatellite launch vehicle in China, A Euro startup developing tech for suborbital & orbital launch services, dedicated to small payloads and nanosatellites, Integrated launch services for the Zenit Launch Vehicle via a mobile sea platform, Cost effective small satellite launch services from the United Kingdom, Commercializing new suborbital rocket technologies, Small satellite space launch via a kinetic launch system, Developing a zero-emission space tourism platform, Building rockets to launch small satellites, Commercial launch vehicle manufacturer and space launch provider in China, Developinig the world's first 100% reusable rocket, Developing the Firefly Alpha launch vehicle; highest payload performance with the lowest cost per kg to orbit in its vehicle class, Launching sratospheric balloons for research and promotional purposes, Offering commercial suborbital platforms for scientific research, commercial applications, and defense, Developing the Vega & Ariane launch vehicles, Providing routine launch access to Earth orbit for entrepreneurs and enterprises, Offers a range of sounding rockets, capable of flights up to 300km in multistage configurations, Lowering the cost of access to space with reusable launch vehicles, Balloons that lift anything from a few kilograms to several tons and are able to operate at an altitude as low as a few hundred metres or as high as 40 km, Developing the Ceres-1 and Pallas-1 launch vehicles, Designs, manufactures, and operates launch vehicles, propulsion systems, and satellites and related components, Developing suborbital rockets to proide access and research for traditional and New-Space markets, The first rocket company and launch site for cubesat payloads in New Zealand, SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft, SSC designs sounding rocket vehicles, stratospheric balloon systems, and payloads, A joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, ULA produces the Vulcan, Atlas and Delta Launch Vehicle Families, UP Aerospace is a suborbital space launch and flight test service provider, Building a fleet of WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft and SpaceShipTwo reusable spaceships, The small payload orbital launch sister company to Virgin Galactic, The Stratollite is a remotely operated, navigable vehicle that can remain aloft for days, weeks, and months on end, iSpace is a Chinese private space launch company developing the Hyperbola rocket family, Launch vehicle manufacturer and launch services provider, Designing orbital-class launch vehicles that are autonomously constructed, Developing Dream Chaser, a multi-mission space utility vehicle designed to transport crew and cargo to low-Earth orbit, Formal press announcement confirming the company is no longer active, Website and all other media/materials are removed from the internet, Company re-classified (moved to a different SFR database), Website copyright has not been updated for 2+ years, No new company news/updates/press/social activity for 2+ years, No response after 2 weeks when contacted by SpaceFund via multiple channels. All those hidden cost personnel hours to refurbish contribute to 90% of a reusable vehicles launch costs, as shown in the famous iceberg chart below. A reusable rocket engine design will carry more safety margin. A suborbital test flight succeeded in 2016; both orbital flights in 2017 and 2019 failed. When deciding on a launch vehicle, one should also consider other factors such as volumetric constraints, launch sites, and the availability of ride-sharing services. The standard unit of measurement used depends on the type of product. Definitely not more than one flight. It has been determined that a sufficiently long cannon could be used to launch acceleration-resistant payloads into space, but no country has yet tried to build one, though a few companies are trying. Beyond 10,000 AD A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 143 small satellites into orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape. Social media, An investigation of the performance potential of a liquid oxygen expander cycle rocket engine, by Dylan Thomas Stapp, https://www.nature.com/news/2006/060327/full/news060327-2.html, "NASA's goal is to reduce the cost of getting to space to hundreds of dollars per pound within 25 years and tens of dollars per pound within 40 years. "NASA's goal is to reduce the cost of getting to space to hundreds of dollars per pound within 25 years and tens of dollars per pound within 40 years. SpaceX Costs to Launch NASA Cargo Missions Will Rise 50% in 2020 The last one is where you get the $13/kg number, but it doesn't really matter if it's $10 or $20 or $30. Increased to 10,000 kg if all boosters land on drone ships. Editor: James E. Ellis, Dimitra Kessenides. This means that it would cost about one more USD per kg to launch. This vehicle is destined to take humans beyond Earth orbit. SpaceFund is interested in a number of sectors of the space economy, specifically Transportation, Communication, Human Factors, Supplies, and Energy. To view and interact with our full dataset, please view on a desktop In addition to being an avid blogger, Michael is particularly Military & War SpaceX - Reducing the cost of access to space - Technology and Important Note (Companies not Vehicles): This database, and the SpaceFund Reality ratings, are based on COMPANIES, not launch vehicles. 134,501. NASAs LEO Opportunities: In-Space Production Applications outlines other application areas. We begin with a sub-sector of the Transportation sector, specifically transportation between Earth and Space, commonly referred to as the launch industry. Last year, globally, there were 114 total rocket launches [per BryceTechs 2020 Orbital Launch Year in Review report]. A first list contains rockets that are operational or in development as of 2022; a second list includes all retired rockets. We also hosted a lively webinar on the topic, summarized here.) According to Le Gall, launching a satellite on an Ariane 5 costs around 100 million euros ($137 million). If the average person weighs 62 kg, itd be just $806 to transport just their body weight alone, not including other factors of course, but thats still really cheap for space flight. If you made it through all that rocket history, you might be asking yourself the following how did SpaceX do it? But launch services aren't produce, and the conventional way of assessing launch costs on a dollars-per-kilogram basis isn't a good measure of the cost of launch. Is the listed data inaccurate or outdated? b. Curious About Investing in Rockets? Rocket Lab vs Astra As with auto purchases, most launch customers negotiate "sticker price" discounts of anywhere from 10 to 15 percent, according to one expert. A space elevator would consist of an extremely long carbon nanotube cable, with a counterweight in geosynchronous orbit. Delta Heavy's cost per launch is estimated to be $350 million while the cost of each Ariane 5 launch comes to $165 to 220 million. Reusing the Falcon 9 first stage DID deliver on the promise of dramatically lower launch costs. Things where the insane cost of construction dwarfs operational costs. Contact us Satellites lost. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The King Of Small Sat Launchers - A Comparison - Everyday Astronaut Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. The first medieval rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder; they were used by the Chinese, Indians, Mongols and Arabs, in warfare as early as the 13th century. The figures provided here, adjusted for inflation, are for U.S. launch vehicles delivering 1 kg (2.2 lb) into low Earth orbit (LEO). Designed by NASA to be low-cost and reusable, it was the perfect starting point. They charge on the order of $60/month. It's all hypothetical right now, but we can imagine a few different scenarios for starship, going from worst case up: It doesn't work: There's some fundamental flaw in the design, maybe they can get it flying, but full reusability never happens without a full redesign. Neglect the cost of the extension cord. Additionally, one rocket exploded on the launch pad in 2016. That means their user price is about $0.20/GB (although they only start enforcing a cap. GTO payload with enhanced engines, as of GSLV version 2A, A suborbital test flight was conducted in 2014 (designated LVM-3/, 5,100 kg to a 500-km Sun-synchronous orbit; 3,300 kg to 800 km. Polls Space tourism is another near-term growth segment in the Space for Earth market. But a Chinese official told me in 2019 that improved processes and high production rates had driven the cost of CASC's launches down in recent years to about US$50 million from US$70 million. Where in the space economy ecosystem does one draw the line to think about Space for Space? The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. I wouldnt bet much on SLS flying at all at this point. One of the best early design decisions was to down-select the simplest rocket cycle, the gas generator (GG). If you have a very small satellite - like a Cubesat - there are. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Weve also provided a considerable amount of additional data gathered during our research. Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology, and Heritage by Ann Darrin, Beth L. O'Leary, page 116, Comparison of solid-fueled orbital launch systems, NASA, Saturn V News Reference, Appendix: Saturn V Flight History (1968), Comparison of space station cargo vehicles, "Mass of initial SN ships will be a little high & Isp a little low, but, over time, it will be ~150t to LEO fully reusable", Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, "Russia launches first orbital Angara 1.2 rocket with military payload", "Ariane 5 sets new record on latest launch", "We are calling the config N22. A suborbital test flight failed in 2006. The best way to update your information in this database is. Their goal is an order of magnitude increased cadence by minimizing post-flight inspections and maintenance operations. LV Performance", "Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft and its challenges", "ABL Space Systems maiden flight fails after liftoff", https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2022/nov/16/artemis-1-nasa-rocket-launch-moon-mission-space-live-updates, "Japanese sounding rocket claims record-breaking orbital launch", "Experimental Launch of World's Smallest Orbital Space Rocket ends in Failure", "India's new SSLV rocket fails in first launch", "Commercial Chinese companies set sights on methalox rockets, first orbital launches", "Looks like Zhuque-2 second stage failed to reach orbital velocity. Among geostationary or geosynchronous transfer (GTO) missions, which need to achieve a specific orbit of around 36,000 kilometers and are therefore better suited for direct comparisons, average launch costs are down about 20 percent from five years ago, according to Carolyn Belle, a senior analyst at space consultancy Northern Sky Research. You could also compare Starship price to NASA with SLS price to NASA, this tells you something else (like how much money taxpayers can save if switching from SLS to Starship), but OP's comparison is also valid. Harbaugh, Jennifer (9 July 2018). Each bubble represents a launch vehicle and is sized according to the vehicle's number of successful orbital launches. And so the ULA monopoly persisted with very little incentive to innovate. There are several nascent segments gaining recent momentum, such as in-space manufacturing with several startups pursuing approaches from manufacturing ZBLAN fiber optic cables (e.g. Manage Settings The framework Prime Movers Lab uses to think about the space economy focuses on who the end-beneficiaries are for a given capability. Launch costs range from approximately $5000 per kg to LEO to $30,000 per kg to GEO. At the earlier natural gas price of $5.05 a unit, PNG was priced at Rs 25.5 an scm or Rs 26.8 per million calorie, five per cent higher than LPG. NASA cost to fly astronauts with SpaceX, Boeing and Russian Soyuz - CNBC I saw that number and looked it up thinking there was no way it could be that low but it is correct. Ariane 6 vs. SpaceX: How the rockets stack up - Inverse Launch Cost - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics The agency has also speculated that a space elevator (requiring 15 years to construct) would lower this cost even further, to just a few dollars per kilogram. Launch Database | SpaceFund Examples of Space for Space include on-orbit refueling, in-situ resource utilization, and the establishment of a human far-off-world permanent presence. Physics 25 per kg ($1125 per. Engine development is the highest risk part of a new rocket design. It is our goal to keep this database as up to date as possible, which includes occasionally removing companies that are no longer active. Existing rockets cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars per launch (the Saturn V may have cost over $1bn in today . Between 1970 and 2000, the cost to launch a kilogram to space remained fairly steady, with an average of US$18,500 per kilogram. (Larger payloads can cost more per kilogram because there are fewer alternatives for the harder launches.) Rocket variants are not distinguished; i.e., the Atlas V series is only counted once for all its configurations 401431, 501551, 552, and N22. Suborbital test flights in 1995, 1997 and 2002, no orbital launches attempted. This is a specifically chosen design goal, it's not just about getting to Mars. Why SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket Is a Big Deal for Elon Musk - Time For launching the Space Shuttle, which weighs about 2,000 tonnes, the cost is about $800 million USD, or nearly a billion dollars. We are also eager to learn about any additional data sources that can help us in our ongoing research, so please feel free to share any resources you know of with our team. Below is a detailed database of over 100 launch companies from all over the world. Below is a detailed database of over 100 launch companies from all over the world. On top of all those design considerations, many doubted the lower cost projections for reusable rockets were real. The price of a Falcon 9 launch has gone up from $62 million to $67 million. ), Planetary Surface <-> Space (Lunar landers, space elevators for use on the Moon or Mars, etc. Subsidised LPG is currently priced at Rs 29.4 a kg or Rs 25.5 per million calories (considering LPG's calorific value of 11,500 kilocalorie per kg). In 2019, Ars Technica reported that it could cost over $2 billion to launch the rocket once in a given year. Launch cost per kilogram to LEO versus first launch date. As of April 2016, SpaceX has indicated that a Falcon Heavy could lift 2268 kg (8000 lbs) to GTO for a cost of $90 million a launch - which works out to $ 3968. Falcon 9 NAFCOM Updated Cost Estimate Comparison Updated (Cost Plus Fee Vs. Firm Fixed Price) Firm Fixed Price Acquisition Cost Plus Fee Acquisition Weight DDT&E 2 Test Flt Units Total DDT&E 2 Test Flt Units Total Elements (()lbs) (FY2010 $$)M) (FY2010 $$)M) (FY2010 $$)M) (FY2010 $$)M) (FY2010 $$)M) (FY2010 $$)M) A conventional solid rocket or a conventional solid-fuel rocket is a rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants (fuel/oxidizer). TL;DR God bless Elon for being the driving catalyst behind the New Space Renaissance. Government inefficiency and excess regulation. Shopping. They are 'special needs' cargo.. but you could launch cadavers into space at that price! Retrieved 16 November 2022. These companies and their launch vehicles are in various stages of development, with some (such as SpaceX, RocketLab, and ULA) already in regular operation, while many new companies dont yet have financing or hardware. computer. A rocket, satellite, and spacecraft manufacturing company. Starlink fundamental cost per GB equation (and comparison to competition) We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Then the price would reduce from there as the flight rate increases. Seattle-based startup STOKE Space Technologies thinks so. A prior version of the SS-520 flew twice as a suborbital sounding rocket in 1998 and 2000. This probably drops launch prices in to the $500-$1,000/kg range, maybe lower as operations and infrastructure get more efficient? SpaceX's new price chart illustrates performance cost of reusability (227 kilograms) during each mission. SLS will cost close to $2 billion marginal cost. The cost of the actual flight is about the same, but the fixed costs can be deferred over many more flights, costs are in the $100/kg range. Examples of Space for Earth include things like DirecTV, GPS navigation, and weather satellites. Hell, I'm 6' tall and weighed more than 62kg even when i was pretty underweight for my height. Suborbital sounding rocket launch cost Despite the higher launch costs per payload kilogram of ULAs Delta IV and Atlas V, both rockets have been a mainstay of U.S. government launch contracts. Many space enthusiasts will cite the McDonald Douglas Delta Clipper (DC-X) program as the first vertical rocket landing. Reduced to 3,500 kg if the first stage returns to the launch site (RTLS). Large LEO satellite constellations: Will it be different this time? OIG begins its estimate with the total NASA has awarded SpaceX and Boeing since 2014, rounding it to $2.5 billion for the former and $4.3 billion for the latter. As Elon says. The costs for launching a chemical rocket have been reduced somewhat through innovation (private spaceflight) as well as equatorial launch services (such as Sea Launch). SpaceX's costs are still far . The old design paradigm for satellites was multi-year, billion-dollar, school bus-sized projects going to geosynchronous orbit. According to Northern Sky Research, the U.S. government traditionally pays about twice as much as the commercial average for GTO launches because of the greater sensitivity of what its sending up and the additional specificationsand coststhat requires. Within the Transportation sector, other sub-sectors include In-Space Transportation (tugs, in-space propulsion systems, custom 3rd stages, fuel depots, etc.