On Friday, November 3, the space company SpaceX achieved a remarkable feat by breaking its own rocket reuse record. A Falcon 9, tasked with deploying a new batch of Starlink Internet satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida, completed its 18th mission. Never before had a rocket first stage flown so many times. This achievement demonstrates SpaceX’s ongoing commitment to reusing space equipment and its pioneering role in this technology.
SpaceX’s reuse of Falcon 9 rocket early stages, which began in 2015, has had a major impact on the space industry. One of the most important benefits is the significant reduction in costs associated with launching payloads into orbit. Rockets are traditionally designed as single-use vehicles, making launches extremely expensive. However, by reusing the first stages, SpaceX was able to significantly reduce these launch costs, paving the way for more affordable missions for the company, and thus for its potential customers.
With this cost reduction, SpaceX has helped make space more accessible to a larger number of players. This means that organizations and companies, even those with the most limited budgets, now have the opportunity to launch satellites and participate in space missions. The democratization of access to space opens up new opportunities for research, communication, Earth monitoring and many other areas.
Reusing rockets is about more than cutting costs. It also has a positive impact on reducing the amount of space debris. Unlike disposable rockets, reusable first stages return to Earth through controlled landings rather than being abandoned in orbit. This helps keep the space environment cleaner and safer for future space missions.
Finally, this reduction in launch costs and increased firing frequency allowed SpaceX to push ahead with ambitious projects, such as the development of the Starship rocket, designed for interplanetary missions. This technological advance paves the way for more space explorations and the realization of visionary projects, making SpaceX a major player in the conquest of space.
