India’s satellite launch cost 4x US, says Cambridge study; space dept source disagrees

India’s space price tag comes under scrutiny as Cambridge research flags high launch costs, while the government says key subsidies and savings were overlookedNEW DELHI: A 2026 University of Cambridge study has found that India’s per-kilogram launch costs are four times higher than America’s and, in fact, the costliest in the world. However, a highly-placed source in the Department of Space told TOI that the study has not factored in India’s subsidies, saving cost in transport and logistic costs and space manoeuvre costs.A peer-reviewed paper published in the respected Elsevier journal Economics Letters by economists Alessio Terzi of the University of Cambridge and Francesco Nicoli of Politecnico di Torino, Turin, points at a novel database covering more than 6,740 rocket launches between