Reusable spacecraft

A reusable launch system (RLS, or reusable launch vehicle, RLV) is a launch system which is capable of launching a payload into space more than once. This contrasts with expendable launch systems, where each launch vehicle is launched once and then discarded.

No completely reusable orbital launch system has ever been created. Two partially reusable launch systems were developed, the Space Shuttle and Falcon 9. The Space Shuttle was partially reusable: the orbiter (which included the Space Shuttle main engines and the Orbital Maneuvering System engines), and the two solid rocket boosters were reused after several months of refitting work for each launch. The external tank was discarded after each flight.

The Falcon 9 rocket has a reusable first stage; several of these stages have been safely returned to land after launch. On 30 March 2017, a reused Falcon 9 successfully landed on an Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS), after its second launch, marking the first successful relaunch and landing of a used orbital-class booster.

Several systems reusing parts of the rocket, such as the first stage of New Glenn and the engine sections of Ariane 6 (Adeline) and Vulcan, are currently under development. One fully reusable system, the Interplanetary Transport System, is also under development.

Orbital RLVs are thought to provide the possibility of low cost and highly reliable access to space. Reusability implies weight penalties such as non-ablative reentry shielding, additional fuel and rocket components necessary for landing, and possibly a stronger structure to survive multiple uses. Given the lack of experience with these vehicles, the actual costs and reliability are yet to be seen.

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