Seiyuuki
08-31-2003, 09:08 PM
"No airline C.E.O. would ever contemplate a business strategy that both mandated the construction of a new aircraft for each flight, and required each passenger to secure a reservation several years in advance. Yet, as ludicrous as this type of plan sounds, companies that provide rocket launch services have been operating in an analogous fashion for the last four decades. Every customer with a satellite to be launched must find a way to secure between $50 to $100 million in order to pay companies, such as Boeing or Lockheed Martin, for the costs of building and launching a new rocket. In turn, these costs are ultimately passed to the consumer in the form of higher services fees for phone calls, internet usage, or even soft drinks and other consumer products. Yes, the cost of new rockets indirectly affects soft drink prices because television stations that use satellites employ advertising fees to pay for their operation costs.