Reusable Rockets: Dawn of the Real Space Age

What’s the big deal about landing a rocket, you might ask? Airplanes land all the time, after all. But that’s exactly the point: we don't throw airplanes away after every use.

by Rod D. Martin
February 21, 2018

When Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos began testing reusable rockets, few really understood the significance of what they were seeking to achieve. Now that SpaceX is routinely re-launching used Falcon 9 boosters – not to mention this month's launch of the world’s most powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy, with three times the payload of the Space Shuttle – it is tempting, having never answered the original question, to yawn at what is quickly becoming the new normal.

Indulging that temptation would be a mistake. Reusability is a revolution comparable to the invention of sail, or steam: it changes absolutely everything.

Cost determines use. Supply creates demand.

What’s the big deal about landing a rocket, you might ask? We see airplanes land all the time, after all.

But that’s exactly the point. Airplanes are routine: you don’t have to build a new one every time you fly. If you did, on average (based on list price for a new 737), that would increase the cost of each …