According to a report on the SpaceRef web site linked below as 'Lockheed Martin Awarded External Tank Contract', NASA has a contract with Lockheed Martin, New Orleans, that totals $2.94 billion to build 17 external tanks through Sept. 2010. That comes out to be an average price of around $170 million per tank.
However, the report mentioned above is about an addition to the external tank contract, so it may be a misprint and the 17 external tanks may be additional tanks added to take the contact to the end of the shuttle program. According to the reference linked below as 'The Assembly and Production of the External Tank', each tank costs about $55 million as of 1995.
Later tanks, called the Super Light-Weight Tanks (SLWT) cost around $5 million more than the earlier version, the Light-Weight Tank. The SLWT costs more because they use an aluminum/lithium alloy that is more expensive and harder to work than earlier materials. By making the tank lighter, the shuttle is able to carry a heavier payload. This change allowed the shuttle to meet the payload requirements for construction of the International Space Station.
The Space Shuttle program had an estimated cost of about $196 billion over its lifetime, from development to retirement in 2011. Each Space Shuttle mission was estimated to cost about $450 million.
The cost of the parts for a space shuttle varies depending on the specific part and its complexity. Overall, building and launching a space shuttle can cost billions of dollars, with costs for individual parts ranging from thousands to millions of dollars.
The cost for a shuttle mission can vary significantly depending on the specific requirements and complexities of the mission. On average, the cost of a space shuttle mission was estimated to be around $450 million. However, with the retirement of the space shuttle program, new commercial solutions for space transportation have emerged, offering a wider range of pricing options.
The total cost to build the Space Shuttle Challenger was approximately $2 billion. This included the development, construction, and testing of the shuttle before its first flight in 1983.
The cost of building a space shuttle was around $1.7 billion each for NASA. However, the total cost of the program, including development, maintenance, and operational expenses, was much higher. Overall, the Space Shuttle program cost estimates range from $100 billion to $200 billion over its lifetime.
The average cost of a space shuttle mission is $450 million
The Space Shuttle program had an estimated cost of about $196 billion over its lifetime, from development to retirement in 2011. Each Space Shuttle mission was estimated to cost about $450 million.
The cost of the parts for a space shuttle varies depending on the specific part and its complexity. Overall, building and launching a space shuttle can cost billions of dollars, with costs for individual parts ranging from thousands to millions of dollars.
The cost for a shuttle mission can vary significantly depending on the specific requirements and complexities of the mission. On average, the cost of a space shuttle mission was estimated to be around $450 million. However, with the retirement of the space shuttle program, new commercial solutions for space transportation have emerged, offering a wider range of pricing options.
The total cost to build the Space Shuttle Challenger was approximately $2 billion. This included the development, construction, and testing of the shuttle before its first flight in 1983.
$2175.
The cost of building a space shuttle was around $1.7 billion each for NASA. However, the total cost of the program, including development, maintenance, and operational expenses, was much higher. Overall, the Space Shuttle program cost estimates range from $100 billion to $200 billion over its lifetime.
The space shuttle had three main components: the orbiter, external tank, and solid rocket boosters. The orbiter had wings and resembled a plane. The external tank was a large orange tank, and the solid rocket boosters were two white rocket boosters attached to the sides.
The Space Shuttle weighs 165,000 pounds empty and with the Shuttle, external tank, solid rocket boosters and all the fuel combined the total weight is 4.4 million pounds. The Shuttle can also carry a 65,000 pound payload.
The fuel used by the Space Shuttle, known as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, cost about $1.5 million per launch. This cost is just for the fuel itself and does not include other expenses associated with the launch.
Anywhere from 3 billion to 20 billion dollars.
Launching the space shuttle program cost approximately $450 million per mission. However, the space shuttle program has been retired, and new space missions are now using alternative spacecraft such as SpaceX's Crew Dragon or NASA's SLS.