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Old June 11th 18, 11:18 PM posted to sci.space.policy,sci.physics,sci.astro,rec.arts.sf.science
Doc O'Leary[_3_]
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Posts: 13
Default Towards routine, reusable space launch.

For your reference, records indicate that
Thomas Koenig wrote:

An older version of a Falcon 9 reportedly had 488 tons of total
fuel, 147 of it RP-1 (a modified kerosene). Liquid oxygen is
quite cheap, and if we give RP-1 a cost of 1 dollar per kg,
we probably are in the right ballpark. So, around 150 000 Dollar
per launch.

This is _very_ low compared to all the other costs. A launch
cost around 50 to 60 million dollars now, if I remember the
figures right.


That’s just the problem: you’re only accounting for the cost of the fuel, whereas I would consider large parts of “all the other costs” as inherently part of the efficiency equation. After all, if we found a way to eliminate the boosters entirely, the savings is obviously not just from the decrease in fuel.

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