The launch vehicle was LauncherOne, with RP-1 and liquid oxygen as propellants. RP-1 is essentially jet fuel, but a finer grade, so slightly more expensive. Liquid oxygen is very cheap by comparison. The benefit is that the air-launch allows a smaller rocket, and the carrier aircraft comes back to be re-used indefinitely.
Interesting subject. Jet A-1 costs ~$3/gallon worldwide. RP-1 rocket fuel costs $93.87/gallon at DoD prices (I didn't expect it to be so expensive, but it is a special grade and is not produced at the same scale as jet fuel, Diesel fuel, or gasoline). Liquid oxygen is available industrially at $0.13/cubic meter, or $0.09/metric ton, or $0.0005/gallon (that's 5/100 of one cent per gallon...bottled water costs orders of magnitude more). Here's the sauce. https://www.intratec.us/chemical-markets/oxygen-price
A rocket liquid oxygen tank is just a steel or aluminum fuselage, no insulation. The liquid is allowed to boil off after filling. Typically, a layer of frost will surround the tank exterior (see this on photos of the X-15 carried aloft).
Bottom line is that rocket propellant cost is not a problem. The rest of the rocket is the expensive part, and air launch allows the whole expendable package to be smaller for the payload delivered to orbit.
Jet fuel is a lot cheaper than rocket fuel.
The launch vehicle was LauncherOne, with RP-1 and liquid oxygen as propellants. RP-1 is essentially jet fuel, but a finer grade, so slightly more expensive. Liquid oxygen is very cheap by comparison. The benefit is that the air-launch allows a smaller rocket, and the carrier aircraft comes back to be re-used indefinitely.
No --- even the tank is expensive.
Interesting subject. Jet A-1 costs ~$3/gallon worldwide. RP-1 rocket fuel costs $93.87/gallon at DoD prices (I didn't expect it to be so expensive, but it is a special grade and is not produced at the same scale as jet fuel, Diesel fuel, or gasoline). Liquid oxygen is available industrially at $0.13/cubic meter, or $0.09/metric ton, or $0.0005/gallon (that's 5/100 of one cent per gallon...bottled water costs orders of magnitude more). Here's the sauce. https://www.intratec.us/chemical-markets/oxygen-price
A rocket liquid oxygen tank is just a steel or aluminum fuselage, no insulation. The liquid is allowed to boil off after filling. Typically, a layer of frost will surround the tank exterior (see this on photos of the X-15 carried aloft).
Bottom line is that rocket propellant cost is not a problem. The rest of the rocket is the expensive part, and air launch allows the whole expendable package to be smaller for the payload delivered to orbit.
Liquid Oxygen ---- as a liquid --- will be in the ballpark of $1-$2/pound
A jet engine gets it for free from the air.