How much does it cost to launch to orbit?
~$2,500/kg to LEO on a reusable Falcon 9 — about 22× cheaper than the Space Shuttle. CC-BY, "data: Cosmik"
Launching 1 kg to low Earth orbit costs roughly $2,500 on a reusable Falcon 9 today — down from about $54,500 on the Space Shuttle, a ~22× drop. Reusable rockets broke a cost curve that had barely moved for 50 years, and SpaceX's Starship targets ~$200/kg, another order of magnitude lower (not yet demonstrated). Here is the cost per kilogram, rocket by rocket.
Cost per kg to LEO, by rocket
Estimated cost to put one kilogram into low Earth orbit, inflation-adjusted to recent dollars:
Bars use a logarithmic scale — the real spread is ~270× from Starship's target to the Space Shuttle. Figures are representative; see the sources in the table.
Launch cost per kg to LEO, by vehicle
| Vehicle | First flew | Payload to LEO | Cost / kg to LEO |
|---|---|---|---|
Saturn V retired ≈ $11,400/kg in 2024 dollars — the Apollo Moon rocket, ~$185M per launch in then-year money, inflation-adjusted from NASA cost accounting. | 1967 | 140,000 kg | $11,400/kg |
Space Shuttle retired ≈ $54,500/kg (estimates range $24,000–$60,000/kg) — partially reusable but hugely expensive per flight once the full program cost is amortized. Source: CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022). | 1981 | 27,500 kg | $54,500/kg |
Proton-M retired ≈ $4,300/kg — the workhorse of the 2000s commercial-launch market at roughly $65–100M per launch. Source: CSIS / commercial price listings. | 2001 | 22,800 kg | $4,300/kg |
Ariane 5 retired ≈ $9,000/kg — Europe's expendable heavy lifter, ~$165–180M per launch. Retired 2023. Source: ESA / Arianespace figures. | 1996 | 20,000 kg | $9,000/kg |
Falcon 9 (reusable) flying ≈ $2,500/kg — booster reuse cut the price sharply; list price ~$70M for up to ~17,400 kg to LEO in a reusable profile. Source: SpaceX published pricing + analyst estimates. | 2010 | 17,400 kg | $2,500/kg |
Falcon Heavy (reusable) flying ≈ $1,500/kg — three reusable Falcon cores; ~$97M per launch, up to 63,800 kg to LEO fully expended. Source: SpaceX. | 2018 | 63,800 kg | $1,500/kg |
Starship (target) in development ≈ $200/kg is SpaceX's stated long-term target and is NOT yet demonstrated — independent estimates for early operations run $500–$1,500/kg. Fully reusable, in flight testing. Source: SpaceX public statements. | 2023 | 100,000 kg | $200/kg |
Why launch costs fell so sharply
For decades the price to reach orbit barely moved: expendable rockets threw away millions of dollars of hardware on every flight, and the Space Shuttle's reusability never paid off once its full program cost was counted. The break came from reusing the first stage: SpaceX lands and reflies Falcon 9 boosters, amortizing the most expensive part of the rocket over many flights. That single change cut the cost per kilogram by more than an order of magnitude and is why the number of satellites in orbit has more than doubled since 2020.
How these figures are measured
Each row is the approximate cost to deliver one kilogram of payload to LEO, inflation-adjusted to recent dollars, with a per-row source note. Figures come from the CSIS Aerospace Security Project's launch-cost dataset, NASA cost accounting, ESA / Arianespace figures, and SpaceX's own published prices and targets. They are best-available estimates, not audited accounts: real per-kilogram cost varies with payload mass, orbit and reuse. Starship's target is explicitly aspirational and not yet demonstrated. Everything here is CC-BY 4.0 — reuse it with credit.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to launch 1 kg into orbit?
Roughly $2,500 per kilogram to low Earth orbit on a reusable Falcon 9 in 2026 — down from about $54,500/kg on the Space Shuttle. SpaceX's Starship targets around $200/kg, though that is not yet demonstrated.
Why has the cost of launching to space dropped?
Mostly because of reusable rockets. SpaceX lands and reflies Falcon 9 first stages, spreading the cost of the most expensive hardware across many launches. For 50 years before that, expendable rockets kept the price roughly flat.
What was the cheapest rocket before SpaceX?
Among widely-flown vehicles, Russia's Proton was one of the cheaper options at roughly $4,300/kg to LEO in the 2000s commercial market — still far above today's reusable Falcon 9.
How cheap could launch get with Starship?
SpaceX's stated target is about $200/kg or lower thanks to full reusability and large payload. Independent analysts expect $500–$1,500/kg in early operations — still several times cheaper than Falcon 9.
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