Thanks for the article!Please clarify: is the total cost to ramp up production capabilities and fabricate six engines 2.66 $$billion (1.16 $billion ramp up and 1.5 $billion for fabrication), or is it 1.16 $billion plus .34 $billion for a total of 1.5 $$billion for all?
Is the justification document available on the Internet or L2?
> It is not a new engine development effort, the document stressed.Looking at the price, several companies built entire new LVs (with test facilities, pads, etc) from scratch for less.
Quote from: PahTo on 01/05/2016 03:54 pmThanks for the article!Please clarify: is the total cost to ramp up production capabilities and fabricate six engines 2.66 $$billion (1.16 $billion ramp up and 1.5 $billion for fabrication), or is it 1.16 $billion plus .34 $billion for a total of 1.5 $$billion for all? Whups--you answered my question later in the article...sounds like the total is 1.5 $billion:A recent, parametric estimate performed by NASA suggests that just the design cost for creating and certifying an RS-25 equivalent engine would be approximately $2.23 billion, which is 40 percent greater than the total estimated cost of this procurement action to acquire six RS-25 flight-ready engines.
The proposed action follows directly in line with the strategy for cost minimization by continuing with the use of the same core-stage engine design, with minimal modifications, and with the restart of a historically proven (though currently dormant) production line
strategy for cost minimization
$1.16 billion
$1.5 billion
Quote$1.16 billionQuote$1.5 billionSix engines . . . I don't get it.Is there no way to get any other engine for cheaper?
Great article!A small glitch: The "SLS Forum Section" link actually points to the SpaceX forum section.
Nice article!I'm wondering though, it is written that 4 engines are used for a fifth engine set, and 2 engines are basically spare. Based on the currently known differences between (formerly) RS-25D and RS-25E, can the two spare engines be a drop-in replacement for the RS-25Ds as well?? Or can they only be spare for the fifth (new) set?
$1.5bn in total, of which $1.16bn for the production restart. So $340m for 6 engines, or $57m per engine. Still not exactly cheap.
That would put a price-tag of $228M for the engine set for one mission. The engines also go down the drink in the end. I really hope that subsequent orders would put that cost down...its pretty big.