
Ask HN: How does Proton compare to SpaceX? - irln
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jjk166
The latest Proton can get payload to orbit for a lower price per kg than an
expendable Falcon 9. The price difference isn't huge, less than 10%, and it
comes at the cost of using UDMH/NTO for its propellant. This propellant
combination is both highly explosive and highly toxic. It's an acceptable
propellant choice for ICBMs, which the Proton was developed as, but for
everything else it's really unacceptable. The price of the Proton also does
not include development costs, making every flight in essence subsidized by
the Russian government. Once the price of the Falcon 9 drops due to
reusability, it will be the cheapest launch vehicle per kg of payload.

