Andrey Popov
"Using current flight projections for CRS-2, SpaceX’s average price per kilogram increased by 50 percent
compared to its FINAL CRS-1 mission price
Using current flight projections for CRS-2, SpaceX’s average price per kilogram increased by 50 percent
compared to its final CRS-1 mission price. In comparison, Orbital ATK’s average per-kilogram pricing
decreased by roughly 15 percent from its last CRS-1 mission. SpaceX officials said its increased prices
are due to new CRS-2 contract terms that required a redesign of the spacecraft’s interior to increase the
useable cargo volume by 30 percent, longer duration missions, accelerated cargo loading and unloading
timeframes, and quicker access to time-critical research cargo after the Dragon 2 returns to Earth. They
also indicated that their CRS-2 pricing reflected a better understanding of the costs involved after
several years of experience with cargo resupply missions. Further, they said their proposed prices took
into account the uncertainty at the time of providing fixed per-mission pricing without knowing whether
NASA wanted them to fly the Dragon 1 or Dragon 2, which would require keeping open two production
lines. Other factors, such as the new requirement for contractors to carry up to $100 million worth of
insurance per flight and reduced discounts due to fewer missions flown contributed to SpaceX’s
increased CRS-2 pricing.