Launch multiplier is the amount of labor is required to launch the craft divided by the amount of labor needed to build it. A routine launch is one that has been performed safely at least a thousand times before. Overhaul & launch is how the space shuttle is launched, the tiles are checked and sometimes replaced, the engines are rebuilt and the entire spacecraft is painstakingly inspected.

In general, a robust design is capable of being routinely launched with good management, while a finicky design will have to be overhauled before each launch. Launch multiplier is used to calculate labor hours required to launch the craft.

launch hours = initial hours * ( launch multiplier + 1.0 / reusability )
 
 

This is used in spacecraft cost.
 

Feedback   Free Electronic Nation Home    Spacecraft   GNU Free Documentation License