SCP-7171
Unknown
?
low confidence
SCP-7171
Expected annual
$69.6M
One-time setup
$1.3B
Annual recurring
$27.9M
Personnel
34
Estimated one-time program setup and mission hardware costs are approximately $1.255 billion, driven primarily by flagship spacecraft, RTG power systems, communications buildout, and contingency; ongoing annual costs are roughly $28M/yr driven by staffing, mission operations, and data/communications operations.
One-Time Capital Costs
Total: $1.3B
Annual Recurring Costs
Total: $27.9M/yr
Cost Scenarios
📊
Baseline
(baseline)
$27.9M/yr
Normal uneventful year with routine operations (no major incidents or large one-time procurements).
routine_operations
no_major_incident
🚨
Probe Loss Incident
$39.0M/yr
Loss or destructive anomaly affecting one or more precursor/small probes requiring replacement and emergency operations.
probe_failure
communications_loss
anomalous_environment_interaction
🚨
Flagship Scaleup
$828.0M/yr
Decision/year in which full flagship flyby program is funded and major one-time expenditures (spacecraft, RTG, launch) are executed.
program_approval
RTG_procurement
flagship_construction_start
Personnel
34 total
| Role | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Research Scientist | 6 | [#18] Senior and mid-level scientists leading analysis and mission science. |
| Telescope Operator / Astronomer | 8 | [#3] Observatory operators and astronomers running continuous observations and target-of-opportunity tracking. |
| Mission Operations / Flight Controllers | 6 | [#12, #18] Flight controllers and mission ops staff for long-duration cruise and encounter operations. |
| Data Scientist / Analyst | 4 | [#3, #5] Data analysts for image processing, archival curation and probabilistic modeling. |
| Systems Engineer | 4 | [#8, #15] Systems and integration engineers supporting spacecraft, payload, and cleanroom activities. |
| Engineer / Maintenance | 4 | [#14, #6] Ground test, DSN/ground station, and facility maintenance staff. |
| Administrative Staff | 3 | [#18] Administrative and program management support. |
| Security Officer / MTF Agent | 3 | [#19] On-site security, vetting and OPSEC enforcement. |
Confidence Notes
Estimates contain large ranges and program-design-dependent choices (DSN vs build, number of probes, contingency), and the anomalous, probabilistic nature of SCP-7171 increases uncertainty; many items are broad order-of-magnitude estimates.