Orbital Sciences gets ready for its first cargo mission to ISS.
The competition heats up: Orbital Sciences gets ready for its first cargo mission to ISS.
The article gives details about the status of Cygnus and Antares, including mentioning that the first test of Antares is now set for late October.
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The competition heats up: Orbital Sciences gets ready for its first cargo mission to ISS.
The article gives details about the status of Cygnus and Antares, including mentioning that the first test of Antares is now set for late October.
I must unfortunately ask you for your financial support because I do not depend on ads and rely entirely on the generosity of readers to keep Behind the Black running. You can either make a one time donation for whatever amount you wish, or you sign up for a monthly subscription ranging from $2 to $15 through Paypal or $3 to $50 through Patreon.
Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Your support is even more essential to me because I not only keep this site free from advertisements, I do not use the corrupt social media companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook to promote my work. I depend wholly on the direct support of my readers.
You can provide that support to Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
Or you can donate by using Zelle through your bank. You will need to give my name and email address (found at the bottom of the "About" page). The best part of this electronic option is that no fees will be deducted! What you donate will be what I receive.
An interesting article. Especially when compared to the article linked to below.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1208/24cots/
Both quote supposed details of contracts for delivery of cargo service to the ISS. Assuming these articles are both accurate (and both companies can meet the terms of the contracts). A comparison can now be made between the two service providers.
Space X
– Number of flights – 12.
– Contract cost – $1.6 Billion.
– Up mass per flight – 7,300 lbs.
Based on these figures the following metrics can be derived:
– Cost per flight (rounded down to the nearest million dollars) – $133 Million.
– Total payload delivered (rounded up to nearest metric ton) – 40 Metric Tons.
– Cost per pound to delivered payload (rounded down to the nearest thousand dollars) – 18,000/lb.
Orbital Sciences
– Contract cost – $1.9 Billion.
– Total payload delivered – 20 Metric Tons.
Based on these figures the following metric can be derived:
– Cost per pound to delivered payload (rounded down to the nearest thousand dollars) – 43,000/lb.
This (obviously) makes Space X look much better than Orbital Sciences in terms of cost.
However, there is (to me at least) an even more interesting point. Orbital Sciences (to the best of my knowledge and to there credit) has made no grandiose claims, but Space X has talked of revolutionary reductions in launch costs (Elon Musk has even asserted that he will be selling round trip tickets to Mars for $500,000/ticket by 2030). Even the Space X figure in an actual contract comes nowhere near supporting such claims. The $18,000/lb. figure is extraordinary only in how ordinary it seems.