Rockets and human power: Unit economics
Why reusable boosters, not fuel, changed the price of space
What this tab covers What it costs to move a unit of energy this way: capital and operating costs, tariffs, utilisation and how it compares with the alternatives.A reusable Falcon 9 lists at about 74 million USD (2026), roughly 4,200 USD per kg to low Earth orbit; propellant is a small part of the cost because the hardware dominates. Cycling costs almost nothing in energy: about 21 kcal of food per km.
Key costs
| Measure | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Falcon 9 launch price | 74 million USD (2026)3 | SpaceX list price as reported by Wikipedia (SpaceX's own site could not be checked). |
| Falcon 9 payload to low Earth orbit | 17.5 (reusable); 22.8 (expendable) tonnes3 | |
| Price per kg to low Earth orbit (calculated) | about 4,200 USD per kg (2026)3 | 74 million USD / 17,500 kg, reusable booster. |
| SpaceX internal cost per launch | about 15-28 million USD (2024 estimates, as reported)3 | About 860-1,600 USD per kg (calculated). The expendable second stage reportedly costs about 12 million USD. |
| Booster reuse record | 36 flights of one booster (August 2026)3 | As reported. Reuse spreads the cost of the first stage. |
| Cycling food energy per km (calculated) | about 90 kJ (21 kcal) per km610 | Assumes 100 W at the pedals at 20 km/h (18 kJ per km) and 20% gross efficiency. About one-thirteenth of a jet passenger's 1.2 MJ per km. |
| Bicycle component market (Shimano bicycle segment) | 355 billion JPY (2025)9 | About 2.3 billion USD as reported; up 2.7% on 2024. |
Where the money goes
| Item | Share or amount |
|---|---|
| Expendable second stage (Falcon 9) | about 12 million USD of a 15-28 million USD internal cost, roughly 40-80% (calculated, as reported)3 |
| Propellant | small; propellant is about 89% of lift-off mass (calculated) but cheap per kg compared with the hardware3 |
Worked example (calculated): a reusable Falcon 9 carries 488 t of propellant to put 17.5 t in orbit, so each kg of payload needs about 28 kg of propellant. At a price of 74 million USD the customer pays about 4,200 USD per kg; at SpaceX's estimated internal cost the figure is about 860-1,600 USD per kg. Reuse of the first stage, not better engines, is what changed the economics: even the hydrogen-burning RS-25 already reaches about 87% of the chemical ceiling on specific impulse, so there is little left to gain there.
Sources
- Falcon 9 Wikipedia (compiling SpaceX data; figures as reported), 2026
- Gross efficiency and the relationship with maximum oxygen uptake in young elite cyclists during the competitive season (Artetxe-Gezuraga et al.), Journal of Human Kinetics 67, 123-131 Journal of Human Kinetics, 2019
- Global performances mixed in 2025; Shimano reports 3% growth in bike division Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, 2026
- CO2 emissions from commercial aviation: 2013, 2018, and 2019 ICCT, 2020