Sustainable Reusability. For Space. For Humanity.

Consider the aviation industry. Imagine if airlines were required to buy a brand-new airplane for every flight. Every time you boarded a plane for a domestic or international trip, the airline would need to purchase an entirely new aircraft, build it, and then dispose of it after the flight. This would make air travel exorbitantly expensive for both airlines and passengers. Airplanes would be limited to only the wealthiest airlines, and fewer people would be able to travel.

In reality, the aviation industry operates on the principle of reusability. Airlines invest in airplanes and maintain them over many years, conducting regular maintenance and repairs to ensure that the planes remain in safe operating condition. The same airplane can take thousands of flights over the course of its life, providing a cost-efficient and sustainable model for air travel. This system has allowed air travel to become accessible to billions of people around the world, dramatically expanding global connectivity and enabling the global economy to thrive.

The principles of aviation can be applied directly to the space industry. Rockets, like airplanes, can be incredibly expensive to build and maintain. But the key difference is that, unlike the aviation industry, rockets have historically been designed to be disposable. If rockets could be reused in the same way that airplanes are, the cost of each launch could be significantly reduced. Space agencies and private companies could launch more frequent missions, and more diverse organizations—from governments to research institutions to private enterprises—could participate in the exploration and commercialization of space.

In the 21st century, space exploration has evolved from being a futuristic dream to a tangible reality, with private and governmental organizations pushing the boundaries of what humanity can achieve beyond Earth. As nations and companies embark on ambitious plans for lunar bases, Mars missions, and interplanetary exploration, one of the most significant hurdles standing in the way of the democratization of space is the high cost of rocket launches. The sky-high prices of launching payloads into space have long been a barrier for innovation, research, and access to space. However, as the aerospace industry has made significant strides in reusability, we now find ourselves on the cusp of an era in which sustainable reusability could drastically reduce these costs.

In this article, we will explore why lowering the costs of rocket launches through reusability is humanity-critical. To illustrate this, we will employ analogies, such as the inefficiency of needing a new car engine every time we travel or the unsustainable model of buying a new plane for every flight. By applying these analogies, we can better understand how sustainable rocket reusability could transform the space industry and benefit humanity in ways beyond just launching satellites.

The Problem: The High Cost of Rocket Launches

Space missions have traditionally been expensive because of the fundamental nature of rockets. Rockets are designed to be single-use vehicles. Once a rocket is launched, its various components are either destroyed or left to burn up in the atmosphere. This model of expendability has made rocket launches prohibitively expensive—costing millions of dollars per launch. For example, a standard launch of a Falcon 9 rocket by SpaceX, before considering any reusability, costs approximately $62 million, which is significantly more than the cost of other methods of transportation here on Earth. As the cost of space missions continues to rise, the accessibility of space becomes restricted to only those with deep pockets, such as government agencies and major corporations.

However, in recent years, companies like SpaceX have introduced the concept of reusable rockets, drastically altering the landscape of space exploration. These rockets are designed to return to Earth after launching their payload, allowing them to be refurbished and reused for future missions. This advancement in rocket technology has the potential to lower the cost per launch by an order of magnitude, making space more accessible for a wide range of applications.

Is Space Launch Cost Actually Lowering?

The short answer is yes, costs have already been lowered, but there are critical factors that need to be addressed to ensure that these cost reductions continue and that space can truly be opened up to humanity as a whole.

Current Reductions in Launch Costs

Reusable rockets are already demonstrating a significant reduction in launch costs. The most prominent example of this is SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Traditionally, rockets were discarded after a single launch, but with SpaceX’s advancements in reusable technology, the Falcon 9 first stage can land back on Earth, undergo refurbishment, and be launched again. This approach has reduced the cost of launching a Falcon 9 rocket by approximately 30%. In addition, SpaceX has successfully reused the Falcon 9 rocket multiple times, with some rockets flown as many as 10 times or more, further driving down costs.

A Falcon 9 launch with a used first stage can cost as low as $62 million, compared to $150 million for a brand-new expendable rocket. When considering further cost reductions as rockets continue to be reused and the efficiency of refurbishment improves, the price could drop even more. This dramatic reduction in the cost of launching payloads into space has already begun to make space more accessible and has provided new opportunities for businesses, governments, and research institutions.

Similarly, other companies like Blue Origin with its New Shepard rocket and Rocket Lab with its Electron rocket are pursuing reusable technologies and making significant strides in reducing the costs associated with space launches.

However, while the reduction is real, it is still not enough to make space completely accessible to everyone. In order for reusability to unlock the full potential of space for humanity, there are several critical factors that need to be addressed.

Factors Critical to Continuing Cost Reduction and Truly Opening Space

1. Continued Innovation in Reusability

While rockets are becoming reusable, there is still room for innovation in terms of how rockets are refurbished and reused. Currently, the refurbishment process can take several weeks, and it still involves substantial labor and material costs. If companies can continue to innovate and streamline the process—perhaps by developing automated systems for rapid refurbishment or using more durable materials—then the cost per launch will continue to decrease.

Moreover, increasing the lifespan of reusable rockets is crucial. Rockets like the Falcon 9 can currently be reused up to 10 times, but this is still far fewer times than what could be achieved with optimal durability and technological advancements. If rockets could be reused hundreds or thousands of times, just as airplanes are in the aviation industry, the cost of space travel could plummet.

2. Cost Reduction in Supporting Infrastructure

Rocket launches are not just about the rockets themselves. The supporting infrastructure—such as launch pads, transport systems, ground control operations, and recovery teams—also incurs significant costs. To truly lower the cost of space travel, these infrastructure costs need to be reduced as well. This could be achieved by creating more efficient systems for rapid re-launch preparation, reducing the need for large teams and costly equipment for each mission.

Further investment in reusable launch pads and automated recovery systems could also streamline the entire process, making it less labor-intensive and lowering costs overall.

3. Increased Frequency of Launches

The economics of reusability become more favorable as the frequency of launches increases. As rockets are reused more frequently, the cost of refurbishment per flight decreases. But this also means that the demand for space services must rise. There needs to be a significant increase in the number of commercial and governmental missions to space in order to justify the investments made in reusable rockets.

This is where the opening up of space to a broader range of activities becomes essential. If space is to truly become accessible, we need to create a thriving space economy that involves not just satellite launches but also space tourism, lunar exploration, asteroid mining, and more. The more that space is used, the more opportunities there will be to drive down costs.

4. Scaling the Industry and Competition

One of the most promising aspects of lowering rocket launch costs is the possibility of scaling the space industry. Reusable rockets have opened the door to private space companies, and the entry of new players into the market could create a competitive environment that further drives innovation and cost reduction. As more companies develop reusable rocket technology, there will be more competition, which could result in further price drops, improved technology, and faster innovation.

Additionally, competition and innovation can create economies of scale. As companies ramp up their production of reusable rockets, the per-unit cost of these rockets will decrease, much like how mass production has reduced the cost of goods in other industries.

5. Government Support and Regulation

Governments have a critical role to play in enabling the reduction of launch costs. While private companies are leading the charge in reusability, space agencies like NASA have been essential in funding research and development in rocket technology. Continued government investment in reusability, alongside favorable regulations and policies, will be critical to ensuring the continued lowering of launch costs.

Governments also play a key role in fostering collaboration between public and private sectors, which can help to reduce risks and encourage investment in space technologies. Public-private partnerships, such as NASA’s collaboration with SpaceX, are crucial to accelerating progress and ensuring that space remains a domain for all of humanity, not just the wealthy few.

Why Reusability is Humanity-Critical

Lowering the cost of rocket launches through reusability is not just a matter of increasing efficiency or cutting costs; it is a fundamental necessity for the future of humanity. There are several compelling reasons why this is the case.

1. Space Exploration and Colonization

The long-term survival of humanity could depend on our ability to venture beyond Earth. As the global population grows, and the pressures on Earth’s resources continue to mount, the exploration and colonization of other planets may become essential for the continued survival of our species. Lowering the cost of space travel is an essential prerequisite for this endeavor. Reusable rockets could make interplanetary travel and the establishment of colonies on the Moon, Mars, and beyond more feasible. The dream of creating self-sustaining colonies on Mars, for example, requires that we significantly reduce the cost of getting there. Reusability is key to making this a reality.

2. Economic Growth and Innovation

The cost of accessing space is also a barrier to innovation. Many potential business models—such as satellite-based internet services, space tourism, and asteroid mining—are currently cost-prohibitive due to the high expense of launching rockets. By making space more affordable, reusability would open up new economic opportunities and enable innovation in industries that we have yet to fully imagine. Lower launch costs could democratize access to space, enabling a wide range of businesses and governments to develop new products, services, and solutions that benefit humanity as a whole.

3. Global Connectivity and Communication

We already rely on satellites for communication, weather forecasting, navigation, and environmental monitoring. As global connectivity continues to grow, the demand for satellite-based services will only increase. Lowering the cost of launching satellites will make it easier and more affordable to launch the constellations of satellites required for 5G networks, global internet coverage, and other innovations. Reusable rockets are essential for making satellite deployment more affordable and sustainable.

Let’s draw an analogy to make the cost of rocket launches more relatable. Imagine you are driving a car. Every time you drive from point A to point B, you must buy and install a brand-new engine. Even though the rest of the car might still be in good condition, the engine is considered disposable and cannot be reused. This would be extremely inefficient, expensive, and wasteful. In fact, such a model would make it nearly impossible for anyone but the wealthiest individuals to afford a car.

This is essentially the model the space industry has followed for decades. A new rocket is built for each launch, and the costs associated with this are astronomical. The energy, time, and materials required to build a rocket from scratch for each mission are immense. And much like the car engine analogy, the cost is not just in the initial design and development of the rocket but in the ongoing maintenance, repairs, and disposal of the rocket after each launch.

Reusability in rockets is akin to being able to reuse your car's engine time and time again. If you were able to use the same engine for every trip, you would significantly reduce the cost of your journey. Not only would the upfront costs of acquiring an engine be reduced, but you would also save on the materials and labor associated with the manufacturing of new engines for each trip. This is exactly how reusable rockets are poised to change the space industry: instead of building an entirely new rocket for each mission, the rocket can be refurbished and reused, bringing the cost of space launches down drastically.