What makes space travel so expensive?

Actually Fuel isnt that expensive. If you are using Kerosene as fuel component, then it will cost about 4USD per gallon. Average Kerosene Prices Liquid oxygen ? less than 5USD per Kg. check prices here. How much does NASA pay per kg for hydrogen and oxygen in rocket fuel? The Main cost involved is the labour cost. read more

A big part of the reason space travel is so expensive is because companies haven't really had much competition and Uncle Sam has been footing most of the bill, so cost-effectiveness hasn't been a priority for very long. read more

So long as we rely on chemical propulsion to lift us into orbit, space travel will never be cheap. The Tsiolkovsky equation shows that a rocket needs between 10 and 25 times as much propellant as the mass that it’s lifting into orbit. read more