Reusing Falcon 9 Boosters Can Cut Cost of SpaceX Launches by 30%

If the SpaceX aerospace manufacturer manages to reuse its Falcon 9 rockets, it could decrease the cost of space launches by 30 percent, the President and Chief operating officer of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell, said.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – SpaceX launches would cost $43 million instead of the current $61 million if the US manufacturer makes progress in rocket reusability, Shotwell said as cited by Popular Science on Friday.

In December 2015, SpaceX succeeded in making its Falcon 9 first-stage rocket land upright about 6 miles from where it was launched at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rest of the company’s attempts to have rocket boosters land on a drone ship have failed.

SpaceX plans to try to land a Falcon 9 rocket booster on a drone ship again on April 8. The company also hopes to reuse a Falcon 9 booster later in 2016, according to Popular Science.

Tests completed after the successful drone ship landing in December 2015, indicated that the booster could possibly fly again.