So Why Is NASA Paying More To Launch Stuff To Space?

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In an era of reusable rockets and near-daily access to space, NASA is still paying more than it did 30 years ago to launch missions into orbit, according to a study soon to be published in the scientific journal Acta Astronautica.

Launch is becoming more routine. Every few days, SpaceX is sending another batch of Starlink Internet satellites to orbit, and other kinds of missions fill up the rest of SpaceX's launch schedule. SpaceX, alone, has ample capacity to launch the handful of science missions NASA puts into space each year. If supply outpaces demand, shouldn't prices go down?

So, there's a lot of demand, even if NASA's missions make up only a fraction of SpaceX's launch business.

Financial information from NASA suggests the agency's payments for launch services are increasing, according to a paper authored by Moon Kim, a research analyst for NASA's strategic investments division. The report is set to be published in the July issue of Acta Astronautica, a peer-reviewed journal sponsored by the International Academy of Astronautics.

Adjusted for inflation, the prices NASA pays for launch services rose at an annual average rate of 2.82 percent from 1996 to 2024, the report says. "Furthermore, there is no evidence of shift in the launch service costs trend after the introduction of a new launch service provider in 2016."

The Launch Services Program brokers launch contracts for NASA's interplanetary probes, space telescopes, and climate research satellites. Launches to transport crews and cargo to the International Space Station are booked through a separate account.

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