India has the highest satellite launch cost among major spacefaring markets, with the cost of putting a kilogram of payload into orbit from the country estimated at more than four times that of the US, according to a 2026 study by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Politecnico di Torino, reported TOI.
The findings, however, have been disputed by a senior source in the Department of Space, who said the study does not account for subsidies offered to satellite customers in India, as well as savings on logistics, transportation and orbital manoeuvring.
