US’s $3,225. Sounds strange, right? Especially for ISRO, known for ‘jugaad’ in space. But here’s the twist: India’s small rockets mean fixed costs get divided across fewer kg; making each kg costlier. SpaceX’s reusable rockets and launch frequency? That’s the secret sauce. ISRO’s leaders say the study misses the bigger picture; total mission cost matters more than per-kg math. Still, the takeaway’s clear: to compete globally, India needs more launches… and possibly reusable tech. The sky’s not the limit; cost efficiency is.