India's Rocket Launch Costs Four Times Higher Than US, Study Finds

Key facts

• A study by University of Cambridge economist Alessio Terzi and Francesco Nicoli of Politecnico di Torino analyzed 6,740 rocket launches between 1960 and 2025.
• The study estimated India's cost of delivering one kilogram of payload to Low Earth Orbit at $13,302 in 2025, over four times the US figure of $3,225.
• Other per-kilogram launch costs were estimated at $9,897 for Europe, $6,682 for Russia, $5,809 for China, $5,287 for Japan, and a global average of $3,868.
• India's Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) cost about $74 million and Chandrayaan-3 about $75 million, reflecting frugal mission design.
• The study found only the US and Europe showed statistically significant 'experience curves' since 2010, where launch costs fell with accumulated launch experience.
• India's launch vehicles carry smaller payloads, which increases the cost per kilogram due to fixed costs being spread over less mass.
• ISRO Chairman V Narayanan disputed the study, saying it used 'wrong data', while former ISRO chairman S Somanath argued that cost per kilogram alone is not a sufficient measure of competitiveness.
• Somanath also noted that SpaceX's low cost per kilogram is aided by its internal scale and frequent launches, with advantages not necessarily passed on to external customers.
• SpaceX is posting supply-chain positions in Bengaluru, India, to develop a high-volume manufacturing and supplier ecosystem.