Launch Economics

Launch economics refers to the cost structure of transporting mass from Earth's surface to orbit, expressed typically as cost per kilogram to a specific orbit. For SBSP, launch economics is the dominant economic constraint: constructing a multi-gigawatt solar power satellite requires placing an enormous mass in geostationary orbit, which historically cost tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram. The emergence of partially reusable launch vehicles has reduced costs to low Earth orbit substantially since 2015. However, GEO delivery remains more expensive than LEO due to the additional propulsion required. The economic viability of SBSP systems is heavily sensitive to launch cost assumptions. Studies projecting SBSP economic competitiveness typically depend on launch cost reductions of one to two orders of magnitude below legacy costs. Whether and when those reductions will be achievable for heavy GEO payloads at SBSP-relevant mass scales is uncertain and model-dependent.