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blackbootz · 4056 days ago · link · · parent · post: Replacing the RD-180: On the Economics of Russian Rocket Motors
Well, who's idea was it to launch a large amount of national security payload on spacecrafts that require Russian made rockets?That timeframe matches up with other estimates provided by the Defense Department in recent months, which estimated that starting domestic RD-180 production would cost about $1 billion and take five years. With the current stockpile of engines sufficient for only about two years’ worth of Atlas V launches, Griffin said there would be an “enormous food fight” for access to the rocket among the various government programs should imports be cut off, with some programs forced to shift to the Delta IV and perhaps be significantly delayed.