How much do hybrid rocket motors cost?
Hybrid rocket motors comprise of a motor and oxidiser casing (either combined or separate components), and a fuel grain. Generally, the actual motors are a similar price to a similar sized reloadable solid rocket motor system (anywhere from about 60 Uk pounds to 200 UK pounds). They are far cheaper to run than solid rocket motors, costing roughly a third to a quarter as much for the propellant for each flight (the smaller hybrids have an average propellant cost of 7 to 8 UK pounds. The downside to hybrid rocket motor costs is the high initial investment needed for the ground infrastructure. Whilst a hybrid rocket motor is safer than a solid rocket motor, its ground equipment is considerably more complex, usually consisting of 2 solenoid valves (for fill and dump operations), a Nitrous Oxide tank, and flow lines and adaptors. The average cost for the ground infrastructure is about 200-300 UK pounds. However, once all the equipment has been bought and assembled, it does not take too many
