Value chain · CLM-0246
In plain terms
Adding up the costs from scratch -- rockets, factories, spare parts -- gives almost exactly the same total bill NASA calculated, for both designs.
The claim as recorded
Bottom-up CapEx and Fixed Operations and Maintenance (FOM) totals, built independently from mass, launch and manufacturing-learning-curve physics, match NASA OTPS's own published totals within 1% for both RD1 (CapEx $91.2B vs $90.6B; FOM $186B vs $186B) and RD2 (CapEx $138B vs $137B; FOM $298B vs $297B).
Scope and limits
The close match on CapEx/FOM totals does not extend to the final LCOE for RD2 (see CLM-0241/CLM-0247); a correct cost total does not guarantee a correct $/kWh conversion.
What it assumes
Ground segment, Operate-phase and Dispose-phase costs (12-15% of lifecycle total) taken as fixed lumps from the source rather than independently re-derived; see limits.
Where it comes from
This is the project's own working, shown in full:
Trace, Section 6, baseline comparison table.
Basis: FY2022 USD, nominal
Related records
- Answers question
- QST-038 not published in this release
Cite this
energyaperture.com/c/clm-0246
CLM-0246, Energy Aperture, as of 2026-09.
Connected records
Other published records linked to this one. A list, not a judgement.
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