📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Indian Space Research Organisation
Science
India's Space Launches Most Expensive Globally, Cambridge Study Finds
✍️ NDTV
🗓 23 Aug 2026, 07:40 AM
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A Cambridge University analysis for 2025 shows India’s launch cost at $13,302 per kilogram, outpacing the US, Japan, China, Russia and Europe.
A recent study by Cambridge University has calculated the average cost of launching payloads into orbit for the major space‑faring nations in 2025. The analysis puts India's launch price at $13,302 per kilogram, the highest among the countries examined.
The report lists the global average at $3,868 per kilogram. The United States follows at $3,225, Japan at $5,287, China at $5,809, Russia at $6,682 and Europe at $9,897. India's figure is more than four times the global average and significantly above its peers.
Higher launch costs could affect the competitiveness of Indian launch services in the burgeoning commercial satellite market. Industry observers note that ISRO has been pursuing reusable technology and cost‑reduction programmes, but the Cambridge data suggests those efforts have yet to close the price gap.
The study does not attribute the cost disparity to any single factor, but points to a combination of technology, infrastructure and market dynamics. It underscores the challenge for India to balance ambitious space missions with affordable access to orbit.
The report lists the global average at $3,868 per kilogram. The United States follows at $3,225, Japan at $5,287, China at $5,809, Russia at $6,682 and Europe at $9,897. India's figure is more than four times the global average and significantly above its peers.
Higher launch costs could affect the competitiveness of Indian launch services in the burgeoning commercial satellite market. Industry observers note that ISRO has been pursuing reusable technology and cost‑reduction programmes, but the Cambridge data suggests those efforts have yet to close the price gap.
The study does not attribute the cost disparity to any single factor, but points to a combination of technology, infrastructure and market dynamics. It underscores the challenge for India to balance ambitious space missions with affordable access to orbit.