The editorial in the June 13, 2011, edition of Space News titled "A Missed Opportunity to Trim Launch Costs" [page 18] identifies the costs of Atlas 5 as one of NASA's biggest concerns, but it draws the wrong conclusion. Sometimes buying in bulk is not a good deal. First, if NASA locks-in to the United Launch Alliance's (ULA) skyrocketing prices with a block-buy, they will eliminate any potential for future cost savings and innovation.
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