SpaceX has broken the long-sought 1,000 dollars a pound to orbit
price barrier with a rocket which is still expendable. SpaceX
had a launch manifest of over 40 payloads, far exceeding any
current government contracts, with more being added every month.
These are divided between the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy.
Using the average posted price value of $100 million, the Falcon
Heavy actually can be launched for about one-fourth the cost of
a Delta IV Heavy (4.35 times cheaper per launch), yet it carries
2.31 times as much payload! This means the current cost per
pound to LEO for the Delta IV Heavy is 4.35 times 2.31 = 10.05
or almost exactly 10 times more expensive (by multiplying the
two ratios together). Musk has been talking about creating a
hydrogen-oxygen upper stage, which could boost the total Falcon
Heavy payload (from 53 tons) close to the minimum for a “true”
heavy lift vehicle, or about 70 tons. This engine could enter
service before 2015. The Falcon Heavy is similar in conformation
to the Delta 4 H