If it were counting the cost of rockets in the production phase, it would clearly jump that value off that cost curve in a dramatic and clearly notable way.
The mathematical evidence of these facts is clearly visible in this chart: https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*jOS7CZX-gWfOoKGPU...
Which is a reproduction of the graph that appears in the original paper using identical data.
Of course, the data I cited was not the only data available on the economic impact of software quality. There is a whole chapter on the topic of the economic benefits of reducing bugs in the book "The Economics of Software Quality" by Capers Jones, Olivier Bonsignour Addison-Wesley, Jun 3, 2011.
The book is packed with valuable references if you're looking for more data on why it's worthwhile to reduce production bug density using techniques like TDD and code review. I strongly suggest you have a look at it if you have any doubts about the value of reducing production bug density.