United Launch Alliance

Founders · Mar 8

How SpaceX Works

Atlas V mixes up to three rocket types, which Elon said tripled factory and operational costs. It uses the Russian RD-180 engine at $20 to 25 million each, against about $1 million for Merlin 1D.

Tips

• SpaceX designed Merlin for manufacturability, accepting slightly lower performance for a fraction of the cost▶ 8:37Russian RD-180 engines cost 20 to 25 million each while the Merlin 1D runs around a million, with 95% of theoretical efficiency for 80% cost reduction.