Turbo Rocket Economics are $85/kg to LEO or $715/kg to Luna

Formal presentation of latest Turbo Rocket developments at 2018 AIAA Energy and Propulsion Conference.

The Turbo rocket is the only rocket with the delta-V to get back to earth from the moon.

A SpaceX BFR needs 5 refueling missions to go to the moon and back. SpaceX BFR would be $12000 per kilogram to the moon and back. This is about 16 times more expensive than the turbo rocket.

The Turbo Rocket architecture represents a new paradigm for access to space economics.

Large payload fractions of 35-50%, Low Construction Cost and Full Reuse
Cost to LEO: less than $85/kg w/10 flights
Cost to Luna: less than $715/kg w/10 flights
Staged Combustion: Lowest Cost to LEO
Nuclear Thermal: Lowest Cost for Near Earth Return and Larger Payloads to Everywhere

The Turbo Rocket architecture is the first such known to be able to achieve payload fractions to LEO above 44%, representing an order of magnitude improvement over the state of the art.

21 thoughts on “Turbo Rocket Economics are $85/kg to LEO or $715/kg to Luna”

  1. Where are you getting the ridiculously high launch cost of $360mn for the BFR? For now that is a plausible price, but the cost will be more like $15mn per launch. With time and competition price will move towards cost. That’s more like $270/lb to the Moon.

  2. Where are you getting the ridiculously high launch cost of $360mn for the BFR? For now that is a plausible price but the cost will be more like $15mn per launch. With time and competition price will move towards cost. That’s more like $270/lb to the Moon.

  3. Like SpaceX – I was hopeful when Musk started, and remember the predictions of his failure when the first actual launch didn’t go off as planned. But look at his record – look at what he’s accomplished with the Falcon Heavy. Man, I’d love to go see one of his launches – especially a Falcon Heavy with two boosters returning to the Cape. Now, will the BFR actually work? I don’t know – but when/if he actually does a launch of one of those, I’m DEFINITELY going to that. Spectacular success or spectacular explosion – but it’ll be spectacular either way.

  4. Like SpaceX – I was hopeful when Musk started and remember the predictions of his failure when the first actual launch didn’t go off as planned.But look at his record – look at what he’s accomplished with the Falcon Heavy. Man I’d love to go see one of his launches – especially a Falcon Heavy with two boosters returning to the Cape.Now will the BFR actually work? I don’t know – but when/if he actually does a launch of one of those I’m DEFINITELY going to that. Spectacular success or spectacular explosion – but it’ll be spectacular either way.

  5. It could be the most economical follow-on to the BFR once the necessary space infrastructure needs are created. Right now even F9/FH might struggle for payloads and Starlink constellation could be a savior in those regards. We need more profitable business cases for the LEO/Moon destinations. Once those become required/ the norm the best vehicles will capture that market share. Right now bureaucracies struggle with even F9 and NASA is in denial about the SLS/BFR beef 😉 Still support the concept tho. Musk mentioned being interested in nuclear rockets on few occasions so who knows where this will go?!

  6. It could be the most economical follow-on to the BFR once the necessary space infrastructure needs are created. Right now even F9/FH might struggle for payloads and Starlink constellation could be a savior in those regards. We need more profitable business cases for the LEO/Moon destinations. Once those become required/ the norm the best vehicles will capture that market share. Right now bureaucracies struggle with even F9 and NASA is in denial about the SLS/BFR beef 😉 Still support the concept tho. Musk mentioned being interested in nuclear rockets on few occasions so who knows where this will go?!

  7. Rocket launchers and space in general are so expensive, that most plans are fated to remain like that forever, due to not having any way to actually come to exist. When I was younger, I passed a lot of time reading and daydreaming about all these incredible things that could come to happen, an habit I got since reading the “High Frontier” as a kid back in the 80s. Now that I’m considerably older, I have had enough of that. For me, the only thing that should make you dream concerning space travel and use is whatever exists or looks as likely to exist soon, because it’s so easy to get lost in literal pie-in-the-sky daydreams and end up bitter and jaded, when reality as it usually happens, doesn’t deliver. That’s what happened with most older dreamers and now it’s the statu quo concerning space travel and use in public opinion: the utmost unimaginative skepticism. Well, there’s a chance for us to get amazed and surprised again due to not expecting things to turn out better than expected.

  8. Rocket launchers and space in general are so expensive that most plans are fated to remain like that forever due to not having any way to actually come to exist.When I was younger I passed a lot of time reading and daydreaming about all these incredible things that could come to happen an habit I got since reading the High Frontier”” as a kid back in the 80s.Now that I’m considerably older”” I have had enough of that. For me the only thing that should make you dream concerning space travel and use is whatever exists or looks as likely to exist soon because it’s so easy to get lost in literal pie-in-the-sky daydreams and end up bitter and jaded when reality as it usually happens doesn’t deliver.That’s what happened with most older dreamers and now it’s the statu quo concerning space travel and use in public opinion: the utmost unimaginative skepticism.Well”” there’s a chance for us to get amazed and surprised again due to not expecting things to turn out better than expected.”””

  9. This Rocket is at least 20 years away. Here is a simpler and cheaper solution available now. How about a space vehicle with molten salt air batteries that supply energy to microwave propulsion lift off to orbit. These batteries are good for this use even if they are not fully rechargeable yet and can reach energy densities greater than gasoline. Moreover there is no need to store an oxidizer. Generating plasma from air using microwave energy is who knows how much more efficient than any rocket propulsion.

  10. This Rocket is at least 20 years away. Here is a simpler and cheaper solution available now. How about a space vehicle with molten salt air batteries that supply energy to microwave propulsion lift off to orbit. These batteries are good for this use even if they are not fully rechargeable yet and can reach energy densities greater than gasoline. Moreover there is no need to store an oxidizer. Generating plasma from air using microwave energy is who knows how much more efficient than any rocket propulsion.

  11. Pretty much. When the product works perfectly on Powerpoint, but they haven’t started bending the metal yet, it’s still a dream.

  12. Pretty much. When the product works perfectly on Powerpoint but they haven’t started bending the metal yet it’s still a dream.

  13. My impressions about this: rockets that are being built and have some likelihood to exist soon trump those in PowerPoint every time. We have plenty of good ideas for rockets and ships proposals on paper. We have had them for 45+ years after the end of Apollo, but very few actually turned into reality. I’d happily cheer this up as soon as there is some believable business plan by someone taking this into an actual product, but for the moment, I’d put it in the box of good ideas.

  14. My impressions about this: rockets that are being built and have some likelihood to exist soon trump those in PowerPoint every time.We have plenty of good ideas for rockets and ships proposals on paper. We have had them for 45+ years after the end of Apollo but very few actually turned into reality.I’d happily cheer this up as soon as there is some believable business plan by someone taking this into an actual product but for the moment I’d put it in the box of good ideas.

  15. Where are you getting the ridiculously high launch cost of $360mn for the BFR? For now that is a plausible price, but the cost will be more like $15mn per launch. With time and competition price will move towards cost. That’s more like $270/lb to the Moon.

  16. Like SpaceX – I was hopeful when Musk started, and remember the predictions of his failure when the first actual launch didn’t go off as planned.

    But look at his record – look at what he’s accomplished with the Falcon Heavy. Man, I’d love to go see one of his launches – especially a Falcon Heavy with two boosters returning to the Cape.

    Now, will the BFR actually work? I don’t know – but when/if he actually does a launch of one of those, I’m DEFINITELY going to that. Spectacular success or spectacular explosion – but it’ll be spectacular either way.

  17. It could be the most economical follow-on to the BFR once the necessary space infrastructure needs are created. Right now even F9/FH might struggle for payloads and Starlink constellation could be a savior in those regards.

    We need more profitable business cases for the LEO/Moon destinations. Once those become required/ the norm the best vehicles will capture that market share. Right now bureaucracies struggle with even F9 and NASA is in denial about the SLS/BFR beef 😉

    Still support the concept tho. Musk mentioned being interested in nuclear rockets on few occasions so who knows where this will go?!

  18. Rocket launchers and space in general are so expensive, that most plans are fated to remain like that forever, due to not having any way to actually come to exist.

    When I was younger, I passed a lot of time reading and daydreaming about all these incredible things that could come to happen, an habit I got since reading the “High Frontier” as a kid back in the 80s.

    Now that I’m considerably older, I have had enough of that. For me, the only thing that should make you dream concerning space travel and use is whatever exists or looks as likely to exist soon, because it’s so easy to get lost in literal pie-in-the-sky daydreams and end up bitter and jaded, when reality as it usually happens, doesn’t deliver.

    That’s what happened with most older dreamers and now it’s the statu quo concerning space travel and use in public opinion: the utmost unimaginative skepticism.

    Well, there’s a chance for us to get amazed and surprised again due to not expecting things to turn out better than expected.

  19. This Rocket is at least 20 years away. Here is a simpler and cheaper solution available now. How about a space vehicle with molten salt air batteries that supply energy to microwave propulsion lift off to orbit. These batteries are good for this use even if they are not fully rechargeable yet and can reach energy densities greater than gasoline. Moreover there is no need to store an oxidizer. Generating plasma from air using microwave energy is who knows how much more efficient than any rocket propulsion.

  20. My impressions about this: rockets that are being built and have some likelihood to exist soon trump those in PowerPoint every time.

    We have plenty of good ideas for rockets and ships proposals on paper. We have had them for 45+ years after the end of Apollo, but very few actually turned into reality.

    I’d happily cheer this up as soon as there is some believable business plan by someone taking this into an actual product, but for the moment, I’d put it in the box of good ideas.

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