Re: rutans roton, again

Steve VanSickle (sjvan@csd.uwm.edu)
Fri, 8 Jan 1999 10:34:33 -0600 (CST)

On Thu, 7 Jan 1999, Michael S. Lorrey wrote:

> "Michael S. Lorrey" wrote:

<snip>

> for less than $7 million a ride. This means their cargo launch
> cost will be $3500.00 per pound, which is still too high in my opinion. If the
> chinese can launch reusables for under $2000 a cargo pound, then they need to
> work on trimming costs or increasing payload, or both. However, it looks like
> their system has high reliability, and it is man rated as well, which I consider
> important.

Hold on. 7 million is their *price*, not their cost. What that is is a deep, dark secret, and rightly so. 7 million just happens to be about the price where satellite companies sit up and take notice.

Personally, I'm not sure about their being able to compete in teh satellite launch business, but I think their design is very well suited to fast package delivery. "When it absolutely, positively has to be in Tokyo *yesterday*" (ain't that International Date Line great?).

steve