How much does a space shuttle cost to build
The cost of a space shuttle has been quite the topic for argument for many years. In the interest of time and effort, we have put together some information on the cost of various components including Space Shuttle Columbia.
How much does a space shuttle cost to build
The Space Shuttle program was a human spaceflight program operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. It was designed to deliver large payloads to various orbits (including low Earth orbit) and to carry out scientific experiments. The shuttle carried a variety of payloads into space using an expendable external tank and two solid rocket boosters.
The cost per kilogram to place cargo in low earth orbit is $20,000-$30,000 per kilogram.[1] This equates to roughly $3 billion per launch.
The space shuttle costs $450 million per launch, according to NASA.
The space shuttle is a reusable spacecraft, which makes it cheaper than other types of rockets.
The cost of building a rocket depends on the type of rocket being built.
There are many factors that affect the cost of building a rocket.
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy costs between $90 million and $150 million per launch.
It depends on the space shuttle. The first three shuttles of the Space Transportation System (STS) program — Columbia, Challenger and Discovery — cost approximately $450 million each in current dollars, not including the solid rocket boosters or external fuel tank.
The next two space shuttles, Atlantis and Endeavour, cost about $1 billion each in current dollars. The final two shuttles built were actually more expensive than the later models: Atlantis cost $1.7 billion, while Endeavour cost $2 billion.
The shuttle was designed to be reusable and therefore cost less than a single-use spacecraft would have. However, there were many factors that added to its expense over time. In particular, NASA’s decision to develop a vehicle that could be launched with only two solid rocket boosters instead of three added significantly to its cost per launch.
The Space Shuttle program was a human spaceflight program operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States, from 1981 to 2011. The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system that used orbiter spacecraft called “Orienters” to launch, deliver and return payloads to Earth. The orbiters were launched vertically as part of a two-stage rocket with solid rocket boosters; they glided back to Earth horizontally after atmospheric re-entry. Owing to the lower cost of operations compared to unmanned rockets, the shuttle became one of the most frequently used manned spacecraft in history, with a total of 135 missions flown over 29 years until its retirement in 2011. It completed missions in low Earth orbit (LEO), polar orbit around Earth, and an extended mission at trans-lunar injection (TLI) sending its payloads beyond the Moon’s gravitational sphere of influence.
The first test flight was conducted on 12 April 1981; operational flights began on 4 April 1982; and the last mission commenced on 28 July 2011 when Atlantis docked with the International Space Station (ISS). Each vehicle was designed for 100 missions or fewer.
The Space Shuttle program was a spaceflight program operated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as part of the U.S. Space Shuttle program, for orbital human spaceflight missions from 1981 to 2011. It began on April 12, 1981 with the first successful test flight of Columbia, the first space-rated orbiter, and ended on July 21, 2011 when Atlantis made the final landing of the STS era. A total of five shuttle orbiters were built: Columbia (OV-102), Challenger (OV-099), Discovery (OV-103), Atlantis (OV-104) and Endeavour (OV-105).
The shuttle orbiters were named after famous ships in naval history, with OV standing for Orbiter Vehicle.[2] The first two shuttles launched were named Columbia and Challenger respectively. Each of these names carried a tradition from early U.S. history: Columbia for the name given to America by Christopher Columbus in 1493;[3] and Challenger for HMS Challenger, which explored the Atlantic Ocean between 1872 and 1876.[4] Some members of Congress argued that it was inappropriate to name an entire vehicle after a single person or event; they proposed that
Space shuttle cost per kg
The Space Shuttle Columbia weighed 82.6 tons (70.5 metric tons) at launch, including propellants and expendables. The Orbiter Vehicle (OV) had a liftoff weight of 51.7 tons (45.1 metric tons), and the external tank (ET) had a liftoff weight of 35.9 tons (31.5 metric tons).[2] The total vehicle height was 56 ft 10 in (17.3 m).
This means that each kilogram of payload cost $4,160 when launched from Cape Canaveral.[3]
The space shuttle was one of the most expensive rockets ever built. It cost $1,000 per pound of payload to launch into orbit, which is more than twice as expensive as the next most expensive rocket, the Delta II (which costs $410 per pound).
The space shuttle was retired in 2011 after decades of service. There are still a few remaining shuttles on display at museums around the world.
The average cost for each Space Shuttle launch was about $450 million. This includes all development costs and operational expenses through landing, but does not include research and development costs or interest paid on loans from international partners.
The Space Shuttle Program was a partially reusable spacecraft system operated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as part of the Space Shuttle program. The shuttle was a winged “space plane,” that launched vertically like a conventional rocket but descended to land horizontally like a glider aircraft.
The shuttle is most often used as an orbital spacecraft, placing satellites into orbit around Earth or transporting crew and supplies to other orbiting spacecraft. During the time period it flew, the shuttle has been more successful than any other launch system in U.S. history with a documented success rate of 97%. It has made more than 300 flights with only two significant orbital accidents: Challenger disaster (STS-51-L) in 1986, and Columbia disaster (STS-107) in 2003 (see below).
The first operational space shuttle mission was STS-1 on April 12, 1981 with astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen flying Columbia; over the following 30 years until its retirement in 2011, the vehicle flew 135 missions, launched from its home base at Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.[1] The last mission of this type was STS
The Space Shuttle program cost $209.7 billion in 2010 dollars.
The costs of the Space Shuttle program include the development, construction and operation of the space shuttle fleet. The total cost of the Space Shuttle program is estimated at $173 billion in 2005 dollars ($209.7 billion in 2010 dollars). The actual cost varies depending on the source. NASA has reported that it spent $133 billion on the shuttle program between 1971 and 1998, not counting inflation or development costs, but including $11 billion for two recovery ships and $12 billion for ground operations.[2]
The independent Lewin Group estimates that there was a total of $196 billion spent between 1972–2004 on all aspects of the shuttle (development, construction and operation), including interest payments on borrowed money.[3]
NASA has stated that the total cost per flight has been about US$450 million.[4][5]*
NASA’s Space Shuttle program has been a boon for the American economy. In addition to the $209 billion spent on the program since its inception in 1972, the space shuttle has created more than 1 million jobs and generated tens of billions of dollars in economic impact. The program also has helped spur many new industries, including commercial space transportation and nanotechnology.
The total cost of developing, building and operating the Space Shuttle program is estimated to be $209 billion (in 1998 dollars). Of this amount, NASA spent $157 billion on research and development activities; $8 billion on procurement; and $40 billion on operations (through 2010).