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๐ Reusable Rockets Will Drive Launch Prices Down
The global space industry is moving from partial to full reusability. According to TrendForce, the expansion of the Starlink network and growing orders from the U.S. military are pushing SpaceX and other players to adopt technologies that could make access to space dozens of times cheaper.
Launch economics in numbers:
๐น Expendable rockets: $110โ180 million per launch;
๐น Partially reusable rockets (such as Falcon 9): around $67 million;
๐น Fully reusable systems (the target): $2โ5 million.
A key trend is the shift to liquid methane (as used in Starship). Unlike kerosene, methane leaves almost no carbon residue, allowing engines to be reused without costly cleaning and refurbishment.
While SpaceX currently leads the race, companies in China (the G60 program), Europe (Arianespace), and Japan are actively investing in vertical-landing technologies. The main challenges now are building ground infrastructure capable of handling giant booster stages and maintaining payload capacity while carrying enough fuel for landing.
