Despite its reputation, India’s per-unit space launch cost highest: study
India, according to an analysis of more than six decades of space missions, simply does not launch often enough to bring its costs down
A new study published in Economics Letters reveals that India incurs the highest per-unit cost among major spacefaring nations to launch a kilogram of payload into orbit. Alessio Terzi from the University of Cambridge and Francesco Nicoli from Politecnico di Torino estimate that the cost was $13,302 per kilogram in low-earth orbit in 2025, surpassing Europe ($9,897), Russia ($6,682), China ($5,809), Japan ($5,287), and the United States ($3,225).
The global average for such launches stands at $3,868. The authors attribute the high cost to India's Space Research Organisation (ISRO) primarily launching small rockets, resulting in fixed costs being allocated across minimal payloads. The research indicates that only the United States and Europe have demonstrated a statistically significant decline in launch costs over time, from 2010 onwards. India's low launch frequency makes it difficult to bring down its costs, according to the authors.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
