GATE_AE_2027_MOCK_05_Q06
GATE 2027 Aerospace Engineering All-India Master Mock 05 (High-Yield Comprehensive Grand Finale)
MCQ · 2 Marks
General Aptitude • Verbal Aptitude • Reading Comprehension & Critical Reasoning
Read the statement: "Reusable launch vehicles achieve economic viability only when launch cadence exceeds a minimum threshold. Below this operational frequency, the fixed refurbishment, inspection, and tooling maintenance costs outweigh the savings from propellant-only recurring expenditures." Which statement is the most direct logical consequence of this finding?
(A) A low-cadence reusable launcher may have a higher cost per kilogram than an expendable launcher.
(B) Expendable rockets always cost more per kilogram than reusable systems regardless of flight rate.
(C) Refurbishment and inspection costs scale linearly to zero with high cadence.
(D) Propellant expenditures constitute over 90% of expendable launch vehicle costs.
Answer Key:
A
Step-by-Step Verified Solution
### Solution: The passage establishes that below a threshold cadence, fixed refurbishment costs outweigh recurring savings, making low-cadence reusable systems more expensive than expendable counterparts. Correct: A.