# India has costliest rocket launches, study finds 2026-08-21T13:00:47+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets A peer-reviewed study by economists Alessio Terzi and Francesco Nicoli, published in Economics Letters, has found that India has the most expensive rocket launches among six major space-faring markets. The cost of launching a satellite from India at the end of 2025 stood at $13,302 (Rs 12.7 lakh) per kg, more than four times the US cost of $3,225 (Rs 3.1 lakh), the lowest among the markets studied. India is also more expensive than the European Union ($9,897 per kg), Russia, China and Japan, the study found. The prices relate to launches coordinated by NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO. Experts quoted in the report said India needs to lower launch costs to match the EU or Japan, at about $7,000 per kg, to stay competitive. The high cost challenges India's traditional selling point of frugal space missions, especially for the private space industry. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources report the same study and data without significant variation in framing. The Wire adds expert commentary calling for cost reduction and notes the impact on India's private space industry, while NDTV sticks to the raw figures. The coverage is uniform straight reporting with no discernible pro-government or critical slant. The key implication is that India's cost disadvantage could undermine its space commercial ambitions unless addressed through policy or technology changes. Watch for ISRO's next pricing revision or new launch vehicle announcements. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - m.thewire.in (neutral report) Presents study findings with expert comment, no slant - ndtv.com (neutral report) Straight factual reporting of study data only This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-23T04:00:56+00:00. Tags: Chaitanya Giri, ISRO, NewSpace India Ltd, Observer Research Foundation Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/study-finds-india-has-costliest-rocket-launches-globally/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/study-finds-india-has-costliest-rocket-launches-globally/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/