Russian launch service provider reveals cost of Soyuz-2.1 rocket launch

The basic price for launch of Russia’s Soyuz-2.1 carrier rocket with the Fregat booster will stand at about $48.5 million, Russian launch service provider, Glavkosmos Launch Services, has said.

"On the first day of the International Astronautical Congress in Bremen, our team announced the basic price for launch of a Soyuz-2.1 carrier rocket with the Fregat booster. It stands at $48.5 million," the company said in a statement, posted on Facebook.

The launch of Soyuz-2.1 without the Fregat booster will cost about $35 million.

"Therefore, the delivery of 1 kg of cargo by a Soyuz-2 rocket will cost $20,000-30,000… which is below the average market price," the statement reads.

CEO of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said on October 1 that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk quoted knock-down prices on launches of his spacecraft at $40-60 million to squeeze Russia out of the space market. The Russian official described the approach as "pure dumping," adding that SpaceX receives $150 million for one launch from Pentagon.

SpaceX’s most commercially successful rocket is now Falcon 9. One of its modifications has a reusable first stage. According to open sources, a Falcon 9 launch costs from 55 to 65 million US dollars, depending on the modification.