Reusable Rockets: Cutting Launch Costs Globally and in India
Why in the news
Spaceflight is shifting to reuse as SpaceX’s Starship nears commercial service and ISRO works towards the Orbital Return Flight Experiment (OREX).
About reusable rockets
- Vehicles that come back safely so engines, avionics and structures can be refurbished.
- Turns launches into an airline-style transport model.
- Stages exist because empty tanks are dead weight; they are now steered back to land or sea.
| Feature | SpaceX / Blue Origin | ISRO |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery | VTVL (vertical take-off, vertical landing) | Winged RLV plus retro-propulsion |
| Reuse record | Falcon 9 flown 30+ times | Still experimental |
| Vehicles | Falcon 9, Starship | Pushpak (RLV-TD), NGLV |
| Focus | Commercial lead, Mars | Self-reliance, space station |
Exam angle
- Cost cut: up to 80%; ISRO: OREX and Pushpak.