NASA buys 18 new space shuttle engines for SLS for $1.79 billion

[Elderberry]

Behind the Black by Robert Zimmerman 5/2/2020

NASA has awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a $1.79 billion contract to build 18 new space shuttle R-25 engines for its still unlaunched SLS rocket.

In plain math, that equals $100 million per engine. Since SLS uses four of these engines per launch, and since that rocket is entirely expendable and will thus throw these engines away after each launch, that guarantees each SLS launch must cost no less than $400 million, about four times the price of a Falcon Heavy launch.

But wait, there’s more! https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/nasa-will-pay-a-staggering-146-million-for-each-sls-rocket-engine/]Eric Berger at Ars Technica notes[/url]

    NASA has previously given more than $1 billion to Aerojet to “restart” production of the space shuttle era engines and a contract for six new ones. So, according to the space agency, NASA has spent $3.5 billion for a total of 24 rocket engines. That comes to $146 million per engine. (Or 780,000 bars of Gold-Pressed Latinum, as this is a deal only the Ferengi could love.)

That means each SLS launch must cost a minimum of just under $600 million, and that’s just the price for the four engines. It doesn’t include the rocket itself, the ground systems, its upper stages, or any other component.

More: https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasa-buys-18-new-space-shuttle-engines-for-sls-for-1-79-billion/

[catfish1957]

Behind the Black by Robert Zimmerman 5/2/2020

NASA has awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a $1.79 billion contract to build 18 new space shuttle R-25 engines for its still unlaunched SLS rocket.

In plain math, that equals $100 million per engine. Since SLS uses four of these engines per launch, and since that rocket is entirely expendable and will thus throw these engines away after each launch, that guarantees each SLS launch must cost no less than $400 million, about four times the price of a Falcon Heavy launch.

But wait, there’s more! https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/nasa-will-pay-a-staggering-146-million-for-each-sls-rocket-engine/]Eric Berger at Ars Technica notes[/url]

    NASA has previously given more than $1 billion to Aerojet to “restart” production of the space shuttle era engines and a contract for six new ones. So, according to the space agency, NASA has spent $3.5 billion for a total of 24 rocket engines. That comes to $146 million per engine. (Or 780,000 bars of Gold-Pressed Latinum, as this is a deal only the Ferengi could love.)

That means each SLS launch must cost a minimum of just under $600 million, and that’s just the price for the four engines. It doesn’t include the rocket itself, the ground systems, its upper stages, or any other component.

More: https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasa-buys-18-new-space-shuttle-engines-for-sls-for-1-79-billion/

I have always been a supporter of the space program, but did anyone get the memo we are now $25T in debt?

Time give this over to the private sector, lock, stock, and barrel.

[Elderberry]

The AST should be the Only role that the Fed Govt has in Space Exploration.

About the Office of Commercial Space Transportation

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/

The Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) was established in 1984 (Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984, as amended and re-codified at 51 U.S.C. 50901 – 50923) as part of the Office of the Secretary of Transportation within the Department of Transportation (DOT). In November 1995, Commercial Space Transportation was transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the FAA's only space-related line of business. Commercial Space Transportation was established to:

•   Regulate the U.S. commercial space transportation industry, to ensure compliance with international obligations of the United States, and to protect the public health and safety, safety of property, and national security and foreign policy interests of the United States;

•   Encourage, facilitate, and promote commercial space launches and reentries by the private sector;

•   Recommend appropriate changes in Federal statutes, treaties, regulations, policies, plans, and procedures; and

•   Facilitate the strengthening and expansion of the United States space transportation infrastructure.

[Elderberry]

But wait, there’s more! Berger also reminds us that SpaceX estimates the cost to build each its Starship Raptor engines to be about $1 million, and each will be used multiple times. He also points out that the Raptor is actually more powerful than the R-25 engine.

That’s okay though. This is the federal government, run by Washington, whose goal for the few decades has been to let no project succeed, and to waste as much money as possible in the process. And if they can squelch the dreams and aspirations of everyone else as they do it, so much the better!

[240B]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYsYRjQpTjo

[Elderberry]

The F302 ain't gunna take a crew to the Moon and back though. No discussion on its payload launch capability.

[240B]

The payload is offset
Lunched from super high altitude

[240B]