What component contributed significantly to the initial billion-dollar disparity in CCtCap awards between Boeing and SpaceX?
Answer
The cost difference between the Atlas V 422 rocket and the Falcon 9.
A major factor contributing to the initial large disparity in the CCtCap contract awards ($4.3 billion for Boeing vs. $2.6 billion for SpaceX) was the mandated launch vehicle selection. SpaceX was slated to use its own Falcon 9 rocket, whereas Boeing was tied to the Atlas V 422 configuration. Estimates indicated that the Atlas V 422 configuration could cost around $125 million more per launch than the Falcon 9, which substantially widened the initial contractual figures.
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