Private space companies are reducing costs and changing the paradigm of space development with rocket reuse technology. But could this technology accelerate the space age?
After conquering the Earth, humans turned their attention to space, and what our ancestors could only stare at the night sky, modern humans have access to modern science and technology based on rocket technology. Rocket technology and other space-related sciences were developed in the 20th century by Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States. However, space development has been on hold since the end of the Cold War due to huge budgets.
Space development requires astronomical budgets. The US budget for the Apollo program during the Cold War was $25 billion. In today’s dollars, that’s $140 billion. Current U.S. plans to send humans to Mars will cost more than $100 billion. These astronomical costs have been a burden for many countries. However, in the post-Cold War era, the Obama administration has signed legislation that favors private-sector-led space development, and it also subcontracts out cargo missions to private companies. Today, U.S. private space companies are reigniting the industry. Blue Origin and SpaceX are two of the most prominent private aerospace companies. How have their technologies evolved and how relevant are they as private companies today?
The competitive advantage that private space companies have over the U.S. government is rocket reuse. Their launch vehicles consist of a two- or three-stage multi-stage rocket and a payload or spacecraft. The first stage booster burns for a few minutes after liftoff before separating from the launch vehicle and falling back to Earth, as reducing mass is advantageous for higher speeds. Carrying some spare fuel on this falling booster and using it to power a reverse-propellant rocket to recover it at a point where it is expected to be stable is a technology that private space companies are developing and competing for. Why is recovering propellant that looks like a big empty tin can important? In the words of Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos, “Using a rocket once and then throwing it away is like flying a Boeing 747 to a foreign country and then throwing the airliner away.” “Rocket recovery is a game-changer for the cost structure of space travel,” he said. If humans are going to explore and conquer space, they need to solve the cost problem, and reuse is the way to do it.
But there are challenges. For one thing, reusability comes at the expense of safety. Propellants that are subjected to high temperatures are more likely to fail after multiple uses. There is also a problem with recovery. The propellant usually falls into the ocean and requires a specially designed ship to retrieve it. Alternatively, they can be retrieved by helicopter, but in the meantime, seawater can erode the engines. These are some of the biggest challenges that private space companies will have to solve in the future. Let’s take a look at the progress of two leading U.S. private space companies that are leading the way in developing rockets and reusable technologies that could change the face of space development in the future.
Blue Origin is a private space company founded in 2000 by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos with the goal of “putting millions of people in space.” They are focused on developing reusable rockets and spacecraft with the goal of developing commercial space travel. If you can make it reusable, you can drastically reduce the previously astronomical costs by a tenth. By developing and building their own rocket engines, their technology is already test-launch ready, and in June 2016, Blue Origin’s reusable launch vehicle, the New Shepard, achieved a technical milestone when it successfully returned home on four out of five test flights. Blue Origin is currently preparing the New Glenn, a two-stage launch vehicle that will be the largest civilian launch vehicle ever built.
SpaceX is an aerospace company founded in 2002 by Tesla founder Elon Musk with the lofty goal of “putting humans on Mars.” In 2008, SpaceX became the first private company to successfully launch a liquid-fueled rocket, the Falcon 1, into orbit, demonstrating the new possibilities of the space industry. The company later signed a multi-billion dollar cargo transportation contract with NASA, ushering in the commercial space era. SpaceX develops its own rocket engines and spacecraft, and has successfully placed 11 satellites into orbit with its Falcon 9 rocket in 2015. On June 25, 2024, the company successfully placed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) GOES-U satellite into geostationary orbit with its Falcon Heavy rocket. This was the 10th flight of the Falcon Heavy, which placed the satellite into its precise target orbit in about four and a half hours after launch. SpaceX’s greatest strength lies in its reusable rocket technology. While traditional rocket launches result in first stage propellant being dumped into the ocean or outer space, SpaceX has developed technology to recover and reuse first stage propellant, dramatically reducing launch costs. In October 2024, the Falcon Heavy successfully launched NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, and with this proven reliability, the Falcon Heavy is playing a key role in a variety of deep space exploration projects. Today, SpaceX is focused on developing its next-generation super heavy-lift rocket, Starship. Starship is a fully reusable rocket that aims to transport crews as well as cargo to Mars or the Moon. In March 2024, Starship’s third test flight took place, and in 2025, it will be a key vehicle in support of NASA’s Artemis program to help humans land on the moon. SpaceX’s ultimate goal is to send humans to Mars by 2029. To that end, the company is launching an unmanned Mars rover starting in 2026, with a gradual transition to manned exploration and settlement. If successful, this plan will usher in an era where humans will be able to live on other planets beyond Earth.
The private space industry will go beyond space tourism and play a key role in human migration to space. With cost reduction through large-scale production processes and continuous technological innovation, space travel will become accessible to the general public, rather than the privilege of the few. Furthermore, the more competition among private space companies, the faster the pace of technological advancement will accelerate, which will ultimately drive the era of human habitation in space. In the end, the paradigm of space development is shifting from state-led to private, and we are living in an era where we are witnessing it firsthand.
