Cost Analysis


The project is requiring 2 relay satellites in addition to the radio telescope on the moon. Considering also the necessary transmit power we can estimate the cost C as follows:
Launch cost Cost for transmit power Total
Lunar telescope & comm. system $150M $2M $152M
Satellite 1 $150M $100M $250M
Satellite 2 $150M $3M $153M
Total $450M $105M $555M

In addition to these costs there will be cost for other components (electronics, comm. systems, satellite dishes) resulting in a total estimated cost of about $560M.
This calculation is based on the original system noise temperatures (see here) not taking into account the noise considerations for the amplifiers and does not account for possibilities in "rocket sharing" to put the satellites into space and the telescope onto the moon.
Using these optimizations we might be able to reduce the cost to $350-$450M.