Electron costs $7.5 million per launch To LEO: 300 kg capacity or $25,000 / kg To SSO: 200 kg capacity or $37,500 / kg From your comment: I am just looking to get an idea of how much it would cost to have a satelite up in the orbit for personal interests. 175-183, https://doi.org/10.2322/tjsass.62.175, 177. The total lifecycle cost of a Shuttle launch was upwards of 1,500 million in today's dollars (or $66,000/kg to LEO). The inspector general found that the higher costs for the CRS-2 contracts$71,800 per kg versus $63,200 during the first roundwere driven by three This ambitious initiative is driven by the escalating military threats from China and the recognition of Taiwan's vulnerability in terms of communication infrastructure during conflicts. Full citations can be found in the Sources section at the bottom of this page. All adjustments for inflation in this data repository are made using the GDP Chained Price Index published by the Office of Management and Budget in Historical Table 10.1. Instead they get paid when they hit development milestones and carry a large portion of the risk themselves. In this data repository, small-lift vehicles carry up to 2,000 kg to LEO, medium-lift vehicles carry between 2,000 and 20,000 kg to LEO, and heavy-lift vehicles carry more than 20,000 kg to LEO. While NASA has struggled to develop its Space Launch System, an analysis from NASAs Ames Research Center found that the dramatically lower launch costs SpaceX made possible offered greatly expanded opportunities to exploit space for many users including NASA. In those cases, the reported cost-per-kilogram figure is calculated by the, includes all direct and indirect manufacturing costs and their associated overhead plus recurring engineering, sustaining tooling, and quality control., Unit flyaway cost often includes [a]llowances or allocations to cover system and program management, software and other engineering changes and their associated test, and nonrecurring tooling, manufacturing, and engineering.. 4 (2019): pp. Nice article. That means an expendable costs $5M more ($67 million), and an RTLS landing costs $22.5M less ($39.5M). Despite SpaceXs successes, it faces significant challenges. Traditional internet services during cruises or airline travel are often slow and costly, posing significant challenges to passengers. Although space launch vehicles are often described by their. Use the Reset button to remove the search query. Moreover, Rocket Lab's ability to accommodate smaller payloads allows it to attract a wider range of consumers or projects with varying budget requirements, diversifying the risks of launch failure for its clients. Webdiscounts are available, for contractually committed, multi-launch purchases. SpaceXs Falcon 9 now advertises a cost of $62 million to launch 22,800 kg to LEO, $2,720/kg. Commercial launches last year were 31 x $72M each average. In addition to substantially affecting human spaceflight, SpaceX has also launched payloads for countries including Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and, most recently, Israel. Note: Small vehicles carry up to 2,000 kg to low Earth orbit, medium ones between 2,000 and 20,000 kg, and heavy ones more than 20,000 kg. Even so, the report is not all bad news for SpaceX. Founded in 2002 in a time when the launch vehicle industry was dominated by major aerospace contractors that worked off of cost-plus contracts, SpaceX focused on both process and product innovation to deliver a safe, reliable and low cost service to government and commercial customers. Thanks for the great write-up. The OIG report flagged specifically $4.4 million in CRS-2 integration costs paid to SNC to work on a version of its Dream Chaser spacecraft that can dock with the ISS, even though initial missions of the spacecraft will instead be berthed using the stations robotic arm. We wont bug you too much because thats more work for all of us. One of the main reasons for this increase, the report says, is a 50-percent increase in prices from SpaceX, which has thus far flown the bulk of missions for NASAs commercial cargo program with its Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. Illustration of a cargo version of Dream Chaser docked to the International Space Station. A new analysis finds that NASA will pay significantly more for commercial cargo delivery to the International Space Station in the 2020s rather than enjoying cost savings from maturing systems. The cost of fueling a Falcon 9 is in the region of \$200,000 (for LOX plus RP-1), so a Falcon Heavy would be 2.5 times that, or \$0.5 million. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelors degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science Assesses NASA, other civil agencies, and private space companies. The commercialization of low-Earth orbit ("LEO") satellites is booming, driven by both geopolitical factors and the increasing demand for global telecommunication capabilities. This rocket can lift 63,800 kilograms, equivalent to more than 27 Asian elephants, to low Earth orbit and 16,800 kilograms to Mars for just $90 million. Note: Small vehicles carry up to 2,000 kg to low SpaceX charges $61.2 million to launch a telecommunications satellite to orbit, which results in $4,653 per kilogram of satellite. What is a recommended starting price? I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of RKLB either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. The biggest difference between RKLB and SPACE is that RKLB is a pure launch company, building transport for others (space trucking). According to a report by the space agencys inspector general, Paul Martin, NASA will likely pay $400 million more for its second round of delivery contracts from 2020 to 2024 even though the agency will be moving six fewer tons of cargo. Ryan Woo, After historic rocket launch, Chinese startup to ramp up missions, Reuters, July 31, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-exploration-china-ispace/after-historic-rocket-launch-chinese-startup-to-ramp-up-missions-idUSKCN1UQ0I9. The NASA audit estimated that the per-seat cost of the Your California Privacy Rights | Do Not Sell My Personal Information We think they still have access to the capital market should they need it, given that its operational indicators are improving. Dennis Wingo makes a case that it will be easier to find platinum group metals on the Moon than in Antarctica. It could create demand for launch services, satellite manufacturing, and related technologies, presenting business opportunities for Rocket Lab to explore. D. E. Koelle, TRANSCOST, Statistical-Analytical Model for Cost Estimation and Economic Optimization of Space Transportation Systems, MBB Report No. The cost of each launch is in absolute terms low, at $7.5 million, but is expensive next to SpaceX's offerings when normalized by mass:) Falcon 9 (SpaceX): $2,720 per kg ($62 million per launch, 22,800 kg to LEO) Although space launch vehicles are often described by their payload mass classmost often Small, Medium, and Heavythere is no universally accepted definition for the boundaries between these classes.5 In this data repository, small-lift vehicles carry up to 2,000 kg to LEO, medium-lift vehicles carry between 2,000 and 20,000 kg to LEO, and heavy-lift vehicles carry more than 20,000 kg to LEO. The report noted that volume restrictions on the current Dragon spacecraft have often limited the total cargo mass each mission can take, such that Dragon missions have been averaging only 1,569 kilograms of pressurized cargo, compared to 2,723 kilograms per Cygnus flight. WebStarship is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by SpaceX.At 120 metres (394 feet) in height and with a liftoff mass of 5,000 metric tons (11,000,000 pounds), Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever flown, surpassing the thrust of NASA's Space Launch System and Saturn V, as well as the Soviet N1, which had previously held WebLow Earth Orbit (LEO), $54,500/kg. Others require a simple calculation: dividing the total cost of a dedicated launch by the vehicles payload capacity to LEO. If energy costs can be reduced, the cost to orbit might be even lower. The estimates for Starlink subscriptions seems about right (1.5M subscribers to date at an avg of $100/mo x 12 months, plus the cost of the hardware at $500 is around $1.5B). It is the most speculative of my positions, but I believe that this business will be successful. A helicopter then retrieves the first stage and lands it safely on a pad. How SpaceX lowered costs and reduced barriers to space - The Click one of the class buttons to remove the corresponding set of bubbles from the chart. 7341 (2011): 38, https://doi.org/10.1038/472038d. Focuses on issues relating to air power and power projection. If the same space launch vehicle were to support a different mission to LEO, such as one that requires a higher altitude or inclination, the payload capacity would be reduced. Analysts Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of RKLB either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. WebThe difference between fully expendable and center expendable is $55M, that means an RTLS landing saves 55/2 = $27.5M per core. Ad Choices. Among the 10 most-launched rockets, the most affordable on a per-kilogram basis are SpaceX s Falcon 9 and Roscosmos Proton M, both able to lift 20,000 kilograms Please direct all messages to aerospace@csis.org. United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 at US $ 27,063 per kg to GTO Comparing it with prices per kilogram to LEO given in the @PearsonArtPhoto's answer, this seems to The Super Heavy would be $6 million of steel. increase reliability and lower cost. SpaceXs currently advertised pricescome out to as low as $4,700/kg for the existing Falcon 9 and $1,700 for the future Falcon Heavy. This can be seen in the design of their rocket engines and in their focus on creating reusable rockets. It went down again for a time. The upper stage has a 3.0 km/sec in vacuum. Prices of existing domestic rockets for a ride to low Earth orbit (LEO) ranged from just under $10,000/kg to over $35,000/kg. This factor, coupled with minimal conflicts of interest with clients compared to SpaceX, further strengthens Rocket Lab's position in the market. The launch is due to take place in the summer of 2023: a Nova-C Lunar Addresses domestic and international security concerns in space. Anatoly Zak, Angara-5 to replace Proton, Russian Space Web, accessed August 6, 2020, http://www.russianspaceweb.com/angara5.html. They should be able to operate for the upcoming year, in our opinion. Frustrated with NASA and influenced by science fiction writers, Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. All rights reserved. The search field can also be used to highlight launch vehicles by family, country, launch provider, or spaceport. There is also a big difference in terms of cost per mission. Musk predicted that one Starship rocket launch could cost a few million dollars in the future. Prices of existing domestic rocketsfor a ride to low Earth orbit (LEO) ranged from just under $10,000/kg to over $35,000/kg. $240000 for 200000 kilograms of payload is $1.2 per kilogram or about $0.5 per pound. This is the first installment of our SpaceFund Reality (SFR) rating. SpaceX advertises a Falcon 9 launch with a $67 million price tag, and Spice says Rocket Lab is aiming to match that on a cost-per-kilogram basis for satellite customers. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). SpaceXs currently advertised prices come Why are so many companies that have no earnings worth anything above $0.00? A third factor was the large amount spent on integration costs for the CRS-2 vehicles to date: about $700 million, similar to what NASA spent on the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program that developed the initial Orbital ATK and SpaceX cargo systems, but without funding launch vehicle development or test flights. I guess an all hypergolic rocket is cheaper than Falcon 9 kerolox plus Russian workers need to be paid less than US ones. The company is now charging $1.1 million to deliver 440 pounds (200 kilograms) of rideshare payload to sun-synchronous orbit and $2,500 for each additional WebThe Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launch service provider and satellite communications company headquartered in Hawthorne, California, United States.The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and to colonize These statistics highlight the immense potential for businesses operating in the satellite industry. For all the talk of a space race 2.0 involving the U.S., Russia, and China, a civil war might be brewing within the U.S. space industry. Hover over the Heavy, Medium, or Small buttons in the charts legend to view launch vehicles of a particular payload mass class. The ability to carry smaller payloads also reduces the cost per satellite launch to around $710k($5mm/7), making it a more affordable option compared to SpaceX's cost per satellite launch of approximately $890k($67mm/60). The new Falcon Heavy rocket a more powerful version of the Falcon 9 launched in February. The Department of Defenses inspector general has also announced an investigation into how the Air Force certified the Falcon 9, though it is not clear what initiated the probe. Sign up to hear about upcoming Aerospace Security publications and events at CSIS. NASA lost the ability to send its astronauts into orbit when the Space Shuttle was retired back in 2011. WebIn the first quarter of 2020, SpaceX launched over 61,000 kg (134,000 lb) of payload mass to orbit while all Chinese, European, and Russian launchers placed approximately 21,000 kg In this data repository, the per-kilogram launch cost provided in the interactive chart is typically the unit flyaway cost, a term borrowed from the aviation industry and defined in the Definitions subsection of this page. WIRED Media Group Starship is designed to deliver payloads farther and at a lower marginal cost per launch than our current Falcon vehicles. Vertical integration to cut out margin otherwise captured by suppliers, Focus on process development to reduce variable cost of rocket, Mass production of rockets spreads fixed costs over many rockets, Product innovation to create reusable rockets, They control every step of the manufacturing process, Fewer part count from 3d printing leads to fewer failure points and opportunities for human error. Falcon 9 rockets can cost under $30 million per launch, but the actual figure exchanged between Jared Isaacman and SpaceX is currently unknown. I have a sizable position and believe they can execute in a high growth industry. The administration chose to reorient the program to focus solely on deep space. For instance, the cost to bring one kilogram of mass onto the ISS jumped from $3,000 to $20,000. Status Date of How Americas two greatest rocket companies battled from the beginning. In addition they are experimenting with the ability to land portions of their rocket back on land after a launch instead of allowing them to burn up in the atmosphere or splash into the ocean. | Privacy Policy, from which they can be launched, and their. The revenue from satellite services alone reached $113.3 billion, driven by the increasing subscriptions to satellite broadband, satellite radio, and remote sensing services. It could lift 27,500 kilograms into space for $1.5 billion, or $54,500 per kilogram. This will have a substantial impact on the space industry, military space, and B. The per-seat cost for SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, meanwhile, will be around $55 million, according to the OIG's calculations. On the process side, SpaceXs rocket factory takes raw materials in side and rolls fully functional rockets out of the other. SpaceX has not hired all 3000 staff at this point. Of those, the new report states, SpaceX is scheduled to complete 20 flights at an average cost of $152.1 million per mission. This is somewhat surprising because, during the first round of supply missions, which began in 2012, SpaceX had substantially lower costs than NASAs other partner, Orbital ATK. Zapata estimates that SpaceX launches cost NASA around $89,000 per kilogram of cargo delivered to the space station. WebRussia, Proton(19760kg to LEO): $4302 per kg; USA, Space Shuttle(28803kg to LEO): $10416 per kg ( lasts launchs 2011-2012) Ukraine, Zenit 2(13740kg to LEO): $3093 per kg; Might enable cheap manned access to orbit by the SpaceX rockets using the Falcon9 rocket. Scaling rocket production (although not to mass production standards) is one such step to reduce launch price. SpaceXs business model is to safely and reliably deliver payloads to Earth orbit at a much lower price than competitors. Matt Williams, Falcon Heavy Vs. Saturn V, Universe Today, July 25, 2016, https://www.universetoday.com/129989/saturnv-vs-falcon-heavy/. The company is constantly seeking ways to reduce the cost of reaching orbit through innovative rocket designs. Elon Musk has indicated that one of the reasons for switching to stainless steel for the SpaceX Super Heavy Starship was to use $3 per kilogram of steel instead of $200 per kilogram for carbon composite. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. However, SpaceX attributed their cost efficiencies to a Bids by Boeing and Lockheed Martin were not accepted. Though it suffered several setbacks, in 2008 it launched the first privately funded liquid-fueled rocket, the Falcon 1. SpaceX has estimated a Falcon 9 launch cost of $2,700 per kilogram versus $20,000 per kilogram if launched by conventional means. Small rocket company Launcher won a $1.7 million contract from the US Space Force to assist the company's development of a high-performance rocket engine, Space News reports. According to the management, the addressable markets for its launch and space technologies would expand at a stunning 38% CAGR, reaching a whopping $90 billion by the year 2031. WebWhen you ask for the launch cost per kg, you really need to specify the orbit. In those cases, the reported cost-per-kilogram figure is calculated by the median total launch cost and the maximum payload capacity. With these estimates, we can calculate a per-flight cost: The 20 SpaceX Dragon flights cost roughly $182 million each, while the 10 Orbital ATK Cygnus flights cost roughly $339 million each. WebI wrote an article a few years ago with a central theme of identifying the Apollo Program cost. The Electron rocket's smaller size and weight allow for cost-effective and agile launches, enabling Rocket Lab to offer competitive pricing on commercial launches. WebAnswer (1 of 4): It costs about $2300 per kg of structure these days. However, this remarkable increase is not due to humans' plan of venturing to Mars. The inspector general found that the higher costs for the CRS-2 contracts$71,800 per kg versus $63,200 during the first roundwere driven by three factors: higher prices from SpaceX, NASAs decision to have three companies participate in the program instead of two, and the integration costs of berthing and docking the three different spacecraft to the International Space Station. In 2022 alone, a staggering 2,325 commercial satellites were deployed, representing a growth of over 35% compared to the previous year. The current cost to SpaceX for a Falcon 9 launch is likely somewhere around $3,400/kg and so Starships cost per kg is potentially a full order of magnitude or more improvement. Often, the maximum payload capacity is calculated by assuming a relatively low-altitude circular orbit, such 185 km, and an inclination that corresponds to the latitude of one of the vehicles preferred spaceports. Critics objected to budget cuts to NASA as well as concerns about whether the private sector would be able to follow through on providing launch services. For older launch vehicles, which were often directly funded by civil space agencies and military services, unit flyaway costs are not always available. SpaceX has since focused on recovering key parts of the Falcon 9 to enhance reusability and reduce costs. SOURCES- Visual Capitalist. These innovations allow them to simplify manufacturing processes and reduce part counts, resulting in lower production costs and fewer points of potential failure. That increase, the company told OIG, is due to modifications of the Dragon spacecrafts interior to accommodate additional cargo, longer missions and accelerated cargo loading and unloading, including quicker access to cargo after the spacecraft returns to Earth. However, Starlink provides a viable solution. The International Space Station was never meant to be cost-effective, Forczyk says. It also noted a side benefit to the COTS and CRS efforts: prices for ULAs Atlas 5 that NASA paid for missions under its Launch Services Program dropped by about $20 million after SpaceXs Falcon 9, developed during the COTS effort, was eligible to complete for those NASA missions in 2013. Rocket Lab stands out in the industry with its Electron rocket, specifically designed for low Earth orbit ("LEO") purposes, which gives the company a distinct advantage over SpaceX's focus on larger payloads and broader space utilization. Rideshare: The price tag of a Falcon 9 Transporter launch increased by 18%, from $5,500 per kg to $6,500 per kg.The hike comes after a 10% increase the previous year.. Starlink: In an email to customers, Starlink announced it was moving to With ambitious plans to establish a constellation of over 7,000 low Earth orbit satellites, OneWeb aims to provide global services to various sectors, such as telecommunications, internet services, enterprises, education, healthcare, and commerce. Company officials said last week that they are, in fact, considering other launch options for later Dream Chaser missions. We encourage corrections, additions, and suggestions. In the industry, anyone looking for a launch right now is going to SpaceX, who is building a serious backlog of orders. In a video last year, Musk was seen smoking marijuana, which prompted NASA to initiate a safety review of SpaceX as well as Boeing, another company aiming to provide launch services. 2023 Cond Nast. I am happy to see that even in low volume industries such as space, there are efforts being made to improve operations in order to reduce costs. to LEO for a space launch vehicle is simply the highest mass capacity reported by a launch provider. To report a factual error in this article. Advertisement. The company typically charges around $62 million per launch, or around $1,200 per pound of payload to reach low-Earth orbit. Although it had a gross margin of 11% in the first quarter of 2023, management anticipated an increase to 14%16%. On March 2, SpaceX plans to launch its first test of an unmanned Dragon vehicle which is designed to carry humans into low Earth orbit and to the International Space Station. Webof Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). Musk has also found himself in hot water with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regarding his tweets about another one of his companies, Tesla. In many cases, space launches are arranged through private or classified contracts.1 In other cases, launch providers may provide costs for a single configuration of a launch vehicle, despite offering a wide range of variants of the vehicle to potential customers with vastly different capabilities.2 Most critically, the very definition of launch cost is subject to interpretation. Wendy Whitman Cobb does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. SpaceX Starship Launch Costs Will Be Twenty Times Less Than Delta Rockets. SpaceX launched its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket for the sixth time ever on Sunday (April 30), sending three satellites to orbit. Two or more customers sharing a launch is known as ride-sharing.. The commercial usage of satellites has experienced remarkable growth, surpassing both the military and outer-space sectors in terms of the total addressable market. SpaceXs Falcon 9 can carry 22,800 kg to LEO, but it needs 123,500 kg of kerosene and 287,400 kg of liquid oxygen to do so. Now, because complying with government regulations adds costs on top of SpaceX's usual advertised prices, Space Force will still end up paying more than $70 million apiece for these specific launches. I bought a little it then sold in the high fives. Lockheed Martin: $37,967 per kilogram on the Athena 2 rocket. This interactive data repository is a product of the Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab, the in-house digital, multimedia, and design agency at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A Falcon 9 launch costs around $67 million and can take 22,800 kg to LEO $7.5 million per launch for its 300 kg, giving a whopping $25,000 per kg! NASA lost the ability to send its astronauts into orbit when the Space Shuttle was retired back in 2011. 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. This should reduce the overall number of flights and accordingly reduce the time required by astronauts to capture, load, and unload cargo resupply spacecraft. Cheap is relative in space launch: SpaceX advertises costs of about $5,500 per kilogram to launch satellites. Sign me up , CNMN Collection Because SpaceX continuously makes changes to its launch vehicle and spacecraft, the company has had more difficulty following industry standard systems engineering principles, the report stated. Read our affiliate link policy. Between 1970 and 2000, the cost to launch a kilogram to space remained fairly steady, with an average of US$18,500 per kilogram. And the Falcon Super Heavy which is not yet shown on the SpaceX site should have an even lower launch price per pound. A Project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. An initial mass of 23 kg means 22 kg of fuel to get a 1 kg of payload on a zero mass rocket to LEO. Is this happening to you frequently? Discover the best publication that space professionals throughout the world turn to first. Considering its market-leading position, we believe that RKLB's valuation is currently underestimated relative to SpaceX. Moreover, the space industry achieved a historic record with 161 successful launches. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Under the existing CRS contracts awarded in 2008, Orbital ATK and SpaceX will deliver an estimated 93,800 kilograms of cargo to the ISS over 31 missions for a total cost of $5.93 billion. Despite those issues, the report concluded that the CRS and CRS-2 contracts are positive steps in establishing reliable cargo transportation needed to support operations of the ISS. With pricing starting at just US $250 per month, along with a one-time hardware cost of US$2,500, Starlink presents a much more sensible option compared to traditional alternatives like the BGAN system, which currently charges customers in the price range of $2800 to $50k per month for accessing the internet while on the move. Ars may earn compensation on sales from links on this site. When the space shuttle was in operation, it could launch a payload of 27,500 kilograms for $1.5 billion, or $54,500 per kilogram. WebLets deconstruct these numbers again, this time listing them by the cost per kilogram: Orbital Sciences: $28,901 per kilogram on the Minotaur 4 rocket. WebCost to launch one kilogram of payload mass to low Earth orbit as part of a dedicated launch. Despite some investors holding high expectations for RKLB, its stock has been trading at relatively low levels despite experiencing a remarkable 100% surge. I wonder if affordable consumer space travel is really within reach keep it up SpaceX. SPACE builds their rockets to support their satellite business (Starlink), and basically sells their excess capacity. Falcon 9 flew for the first time the next year, and in 2012, the Dragon capsule became the first privately funded spacecraft to dock with the ISS. If the test is successful, later this year, SpaceX plans to launch American astronauts from United States soil for the first time since 2011. In 2010, then-President Barack Obama toured Kennedy Space Center and even met with Elon Musk to get a firsthand look at SpaceXs facilities. Pricing plan (Starlink)Pricing plan (BGAN). Musk, regardless of his personal missteps, and SpaceX have aggressively pushed technological boundaries that have changed minds, my own included, about the potential of private companies to provide safe and reliable access to space. But that cost differential will largely evaporate in the second round of cargo supply contracts. Perhaps most tellingly, the inspector generals report notes the following about SpaceXs reasoning: They also indicated that their CRS-2 pricing reflected a better understanding of the costs involved after several years of experience with cargo resupply missions. This suggests the company either under-bid on the first round of supply contracts or failed to achieve some of the cost savings it had hoped to achieve. So a ROM of the cost per pound to send something to the vicinity of Mars is on the order of $23,000 per pound. of commitment, Premier Su approved a significant investment of NT$25.1 billion over a 10-year period to establish indigenous satellite launch capabilities. The big spaceship-rocket duo will use just $900,000 of fuel per launch. they all share the same core mission: to safely place payloads into orbit around the Earth. The operating model drives down cost and increases reliability which strengthens SpaceXs value proposition: The implications of this alignment between their business and operating models is that SpaceX is able to effectively capture market share by undercutting their competitors on price while remaining very competitive on safety and reliability.