The reusability challenge: economics, not technology

摘要

Shortly before 1 a.m. on the morning of July 18, a Falcon 9 first stage descended through the skies above Cape Canaveral, Florida, after launching a Dragon cargo spacecraft. A series of engine burns brought the stage down on a landing pad just south of the launch site, as sonic booms echoed across Florida's Space Coast to herald its arrival. The landing was the fifth time in seven months that SpaceX had successfully recovered a first stage. Prior to the launch, Hans Koenigsmann, a SpaceX vice president, said the company was in discussions with a potential customer for the first launch on a reused first stage, perhaps this fall. Blue Origin, meanwhile, has been flying its reusable New Shepard suborbital vehicle, which launched for the fourth time in June with minimal maintenance between flights.