How much, per pound/kilo, would NASA/cheap alternative charge to stick something into either orbits/space?

Question

Boredum strikes, and i've been curious of late

Answer 1

"The costs of using a well-tested system to launch payloads are high. Prices range from about $4,300/kg for a Proton launch[1] to about US$40,000/kg for a Pegasus launch (2004).[2][3] Some systems under development, such as new members of the Long March CZ-2E, offer rates as low as $5,000/kg, but (currently) have high failure rates (30% in the case of the 2E). Various systems that have been proposed have offered even lower rates, but have failed to get sufficient funding (Roton; Sea Dragon), remain under development, or more commonly, have financially underperformed (as in the case of the Space Shuttle). (Rockets such as the Shtil-3a, which offers costs as low as $400/kg rarely launch but has a comparatively small payload, and is partially subsidised by the Russian navy as part of launch exercises.)"

Answer 2

I think you would be surprised to learn that most launchers will NOT charge you by the pound but will actually negotiate a "system price". It will probably depend a lot on the nature of your payload and the difficulty to attach it to the launch vehicle. And not all launch vehicles are created equal, either. Some you just can't use because they would disintegrate or at least damage your payload. Some you can't use because your funding agency won't let you. Some you can't use because of security concerns.

In the end most projects will have their launch vehicle not chosen by price but by necessity (or politics).

Let's just say that the numbers you hear are probably all lower estimates and that you will be looking at additional R&D,test, integration costs once you have a "by-the-pound" price.

This will be just the same with the low-cost launch firms, if they ever make it to market.

And please be aware that what you pay is not the real cost. Most, no, ALL rocket technology was developed with extensive tax payer funding for early military applications. So the R&d for what we are paying today has been financed in the past with probably ten times as much money hidden in the military budgets of the cold war.

Answer 3

NASA (via the major aerospace contractors through the United Space Alliance): >US$10,000 per pound for non-manned payloads

SpaceX (www.spacex.com) with their new Falcon launch vehicle: as low as ~US$4500 per pound.

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Answer 4

probably thousands of pounds