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NASA is spending over $1B for a launch pad that will be used no more than 4 times. https://spacenews.com/report-finds-delays-and-cost-overruns-in-sls-mobile-la

• whatshisface 7y ago
  How much would a launch pad that will be used four times normally cost for what they're planning to launch? Without knowing that I can't say if they overpaid 10x, 2x, got it exactly right or got an amazing bargain.
  • yborg 7y ago
    In 1965, the Vertical Assembly Building, which was at that time the largest enclosed volume in the world, cost $117M (on a $23.5M original construction contract). That would be about a billion dollars in 2020, but it was completed in 3 years and was used to stack 13 Saturn Vs. It was later used for the 100+ Shuttle missions as well, but there were additional costs to modify the building for this purpose. The VAB is still planned for use for future missions. https://www.popsci.com/blog-network/vintage-space/nasas-vab-garage-saturn-v/ https://www.popsci.com/blog-network/vintage-space/nasas-vab-...
    • dwighttk 7y ago
      so how many of those things were launched from the VAB?
      • yborg 7y ago
        I picked the VAB because it's current dollar cost was roughly a billion dollars. Total cost for constructing Launch Complex 39, which includes the VAB and the crawler-transporter launchers was estimated 1t $500M in 1962 for 2 pads. A total of 153 launches have occurred from LC-39. This number is greater than 4.