NASASpaceFlight.com Forum

Commercial and US Government Launch Vehicles => ULA - Delta, Atlas, Vulcan => Topic started by: Will on 07/26/2011 02:38 am

Title: EELV Costs
Post by: Will on 07/26/2011 02:38 am

Can't find a thread for for this, so I'm starting a new one.

This says $1.1 billion for about 15 months, or $880 million a year, for launch capability:

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2011/07/01/ula-gets-billion-dollar-eelv-contract/

This says $1.78 billion for the program in 2012, at five launches, or $180 million a launch marginal cost:

http://www.spacenews.com/military/110114-eelv-program-costs-skyrocket.html

This says they intend to buy eight cores in 2012, or $112 a core.

This 2008 contract priced launch services for three Delta 4s, two of them heavy, at $505 million, or $165 million a launch or $72 million a core.

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/USAF_Awards_United_Launch_Alliance_Three_Delta_IV_Missions_999.html

Update: this gives prices of $140-265 million for Atlas V 501 through Delta 4H, which is consistent with the above.

http://newworlds.colorado.edu/documents/ASMCS/nwo_appendix_K_launch.pdf

It looks like NASA is paying more: $187 million for an Atlas 401 to fly in 2013:

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1104/04launchcosts/

Perhaps the DoD gets a better price because it's covering launch capability, perhaps because it buys larger blocks of launches.

This is clearly thoroughly out of date, but is probably still a useful guide to the *relative* cost of the different versions:

http://www.spaceandtech.com/spacedata/elvs/delta4_specs.shtml

Title: Re: EELV Costs
Post by: A_M_Swallow on 07/26/2011 01:14 pm

One thing to watch out for is that EELV come with different payload masses.  The heavy versions carry a heavier payload by using more (solid) rocket boosters and cost more.

Title: Re: EELV Costs
Post by: Downix on 07/26/2011 03:18 pm

the per core estimate there neglects the upper stage, of which there are six options.