Launch vehicle engine development in hindsight

Abstract

The development of three large launch vehicle rocket engines, the F‐1, the J‐2, and the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) are reviewed. Historically, each engine represented a new technological challenge which was a key factor in leading to development phase costs of more than $1 billion each. A review of the history of each reveals a consistency in the gross breakout of those costs into hardware, engineering, and testing. The review also indicates that a major factor in these costs, the advancement of technology, led to the majority of these costs lying in the so‐called test‐fail‐fix cycle. By managing the risks inherent in technological advancement, the cost of development can potentially be rationalized to budgetary constraints.