How Fast Are Space Launch Costs Falling?

In 1960, the average cost of sending one kilogram to low Earth orbit was $87,023 in 2024 dollars. By 2025, Alessio Terzi and Francesco Nicoli estimate that figure had fallen to $3,868, a decline of more than twentyfold. Their July 2026 PNAS Nexus study, From Sputnik to Starship: Estimating the Experience Curve of Space Launch Technology, assembles 4,405 launches covering more than 330 rocket…