ISRU Break-Even: When Local Propellant Pays
At what scale and transport price does making propellant on the Moon become cheaper than shipping it from Earth?
Chapter summary
Setcoin's break-even model compares the cost per kilogram of lunar propellant, which includes building and delivering the plant and running it for its life, with the price of delivering propellant from Earth.
Key takeaways
- 1
With a reference plant producing 100 tonnes a year for ten years, weighing 60 tonnes, costing $1.5 billion to build and $100 million a year to run plus 5 tonnes of spares, and Earth delivery at $50,000 per kilogram, lunar propellant costs about $8,000 per kilogram, a sixth of shipping.
- 2
The plant breaks even with shipped propellant at a delivery price of about $2,800 per kilogram.
- 3
At 10 tonnes a year the same plant never pays.
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ISRU Propellant: Making Fuel on the Moon versus Shipping It
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