The Unit Economics of a Defence Constellation
What does a defence satellite cost to buy and to keep in orbit?
Chapter summary
Public awards now give unit prices: ~$49M per tracking satellite, ~$4M launch per satellite, five-year life.
Key takeaways
- 1
Keeping one tracking satellite in orbit costs about $10–11M a year.
- 2
~190 tracking satellites cost about $2B a year to sustain.
- 3
Ceilings, obligations and appropriations are different numbers.
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