The cost of the system we would like to fly is more than we've got, it always happens that way, so we have to descope the project to fit the budget and of course the schedule constraints. Finding savings is not just a case of dropping experiments off, but making them simpler. There are also options to put redundant systems on the platform. These have a cost and we may choose to leave them off and reallocate the savings to other areas. If the risks can be tolerated we can fly more complex experiments, however if the risks are too high we'll have to descope the experiments.
Space technology is expensive because it takes a lot of effort to develop a reliable system.
The development cost is essentially a one-off cost which has to be recovered or accounted for on a single system. If several systems are built, then the development costs are amortised over the total number of systems and the individual cost comes down. I am encouraged by the way in which everyone is getting involved in what we are doing here. These methods have been used by commercial companies for some time now to remain competitive. I hope that real benefit can been seen and the methods continue to be used.