[US] Air Force budget reveals how much SpaceX undercuts [ULA] launch prices

[DocM]

 

Report...(PDF): http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/661330.pdf

 

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/06/air-force-budget-reveals-how-much-spacex-undercuts-launch-prices/

 

Quote

Air Force budget reveals how much SpaceX undercuts launch prices

 

Spoiler alert: It’s a lot.

In 2014, the US Government Accountability Office issued a report on cost estimates for the US Air Force's program to launch national security payloads, which at the time consisted of a fleet of rockets maintained and flown entirely by United Launch Alliance (ULA). The report was critical of the non-transparent nature of ULA's launch prices and noted that the government "lacked sufficient knowledge to negotiate fair and reasonable launch prices" with the monopoly.

At around the same time, the new space rocket company SpaceX began to aggressively pursue the opportunity to launch national security payloads for the government. SpaceX claimed to offer a substantially lower price for delivering satellites into various orbits around Earth. But because of the lack of transparency, comparing prices was difficult.
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A $422 million launch?

The Air Force recently released budget estimates for fiscal year 2018, and these include a run out into the early 2020s. For these years, the budget combines the fixed price rocket and ELC contract costs into a single budget line. (See page 109 of this document). They are strikingly high. According to the Air Force estimate, the "unit cost" of a single rocket launch in fiscal year 2020 is $422 million, and $424 million for a year later.
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SpaceX costs are lower
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For example, about 14 months ago, the Air Force awarded SpaceX an $83 million contract to launch a GPS 3 satellite. And in March 2017, SpaceX won a contract to launch another GPS 3 satellite for $96.5 million. These represent "all-in, fully burdened costs" to the government,...
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[flyingskippy]

And people still wonder why ULA wasn't allowed to bid for the X-37 launch. I know it was also because USAF wanted another launch vehicle. 

 

WTF is ULA doing with its money??!! 

 

[DocM]

Developing Vulcan at a snail's pace because Boeing and Lock-Mart are dividing up most of its profits, a share which of they maximize at every turn.

 

There are rumbles the some in the USAF have become tired of being the vampires meal.

[Unobscured Vision]

Disgusting, isn't it?

[DocM]

And Blue is having trouble with Vulcan's BE-4 S1 engine, which also will be used in Blue's New Glenn. 

 

Engine dev is hard, but Raptor's dev has the advantage of that magic CFD s/w for engine combustion analysis SpaceX cooked up.  

[bguy_1986]

8 hours ago, Unobscured Vision said:

Disgusting, isn't it?

What the government as a whole does with our money is very disgusting.

[DocM]

Musk's take is spot-on

 

 And the predictable response....

 

 

Edited June 16, 2017 by DocM