3 ms·
But how much of that telescope cost is because of high launch costs. Ie using the lightest materials, overbuilding because maintenance is impossible, etc.
by mrfusion 6y ago
But how much of that telescope cost is because of high launch costs. Ie using the lightest materials, overbuilding because maintenance is impossible, etc.
- qayxc 6y agoHard to tell in detail, but not as much. The primary cost factors are instrument development, ground segments, staff (over years, e.g. 5-10 years development plus ~5 years primary mission plus extensions), testing, and building (no economy of scale here). The most counter-intuitive observations is that the cheaper your launch-costs, the higher the portion they represent w.r.t. total mission cost. A "cheap" (e.g. sub-50 million dollar) telescope for example would have launch costs come in at up to 50% of the total cost when launched on a medium-sized launcher or with a second payload. It's a multivariable optimisation problem and the best solution depends on the variables that you want to optimise for.