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Because congress forced them to use Space shuttle components and NASA can't go to the open market and find other components. Space shuttle suppliers are fleecin
by adrr 5y ago
Because congress forced them to use Space shuttle components and NASA can't go to the open market and find other components. Space shuttle suppliers are fleecing NASA.
Here's an example: The SLS/Space Shuttle RS-25 engines are $125mm a piece when they could buy RD-180 engines for $25m a piece. There are 4 engines on SLS and they are expendable.
- inglor_cz 5y agoCongress is positioned between "we actually need some functional space industry whose total expenditure cannot rise to high heavens" and "it would be so nice if some government-funded jobs were created in my constituency, so let us make the supply chains as complicated as possible". I am still positively surprised that they opened up some of the processes to competition.
- bpodgursky 5y agoIt's certainly an element, but NASA's culture today would simply never tolerate the rapid explosion cycles necessary to build a reusable rocket. SLS would be 50% cheaper maybe, but they would never have built the F9, much less a Starship.