Proton KD (human rated) cheaper and better than Soyuz?
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 11:18 am
I am kind of surprised that, unless I am seeing something wrong, Proton KD is better and cheaper than the Soyuz booster.
Proton's opening fee, unit cost and payload are better. I agree on payload, but looks strange that a bigger rocket is cheaper
and of course, the implication is that it make sense to skip the Soviet's space program workhorse!
If this was the case, then why in real life, Soyuz launches almost double the Proton's?
EDIT: The entire rocket research should be re-balanced; it doesn't make for example, any sense to train on rockets, as you will likely use only: the very early Sputnik and the Luna-Vostok... aftewards human rated takes over completely, with once again Proton KD taking over all your medium lifting needs (probe and human).
Maybe if researching the rocket was a pre-requisite of developing a human rated version, it would make more sense.
Proton's opening fee, unit cost and payload are better. I agree on payload, but looks strange that a bigger rocket is cheaper
and of course, the implication is that it make sense to skip the Soviet's space program workhorse!
If this was the case, then why in real life, Soyuz launches almost double the Proton's?
EDIT: The entire rocket research should be re-balanced; it doesn't make for example, any sense to train on rockets, as you will likely use only: the very early Sputnik and the Luna-Vostok... aftewards human rated takes over completely, with once again Proton KD taking over all your medium lifting needs (probe and human).
Maybe if researching the rocket was a pre-requisite of developing a human rated version, it would make more sense.