NASA Says Media's SLS Costs Are Wrong But Has No Actual SLS Launch Costs To Offer

Supply chain, Artemis program limit SLS use for science missions, Space News

"Another issue for those considering SLS is the cost of the vehicle. [Robert] Stough took issue with some cost estimates for the vehicle. "The cost numbers you hear in the media are typically inflated," he said, by taking into account fixed costs. He didn't give specific examples, but some estimates assume an SLS cost of $2 billion each, based on the program's annual budget and flight rate. Asked for his estimate of SLS costs, he said "we are close to $1 billion per launch right now." He projected that to decrease by 20 to 30% by the early 2030s as the flight rate increases."

Keith's note: OK, Mr. Stough: Which "cost numbers you hear in the media are typically inflated"? And what are the actual per launch costs for SLS? You know of course that he cannot and will not answer this since NASA simply does not know what an SLS launch will cost.