SpaceX's Obsession with "100% Reusability": The Ultimate Destination of the Space Economy Dreamed of by Starship

The core strategy of SpaceX, which seeks to change the paradigm of space exploration, does not lie simply in making larger and more powerful rockets. The 'Holy Grail' they pursue is the 100% reusability of the entire rocket. According to a video from 'Unrealscience', SpaceX intends to move away from the existing method of using a rocket once and discarding it, and instead establish a system where a rocket can be launched again after returning to Earth. This is because if this becomes possible, the very method of sending objects into space will fundamentally change. The video emphasizes, "If we can show that full reusability is possible, anything is possible in space exploration."

A Challenge Against the Impossible Started from 'Baby Hop'

SpaceX's journey toward reusable rockets began during the development stage of its early model, Falcon 9. Initially, the focus was simply on launching rockets into the ground, but management soon posed the challenge: "How will we bring this object back?" To address this, the experimental test vehicle 'Grasshopper' was deployed.

The presenter in the video described the Grasshopper project as "SpaceX within SpaceX." This is because a very small team challenged an area they were not previously trained in, mastering Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTVL) technology. The early flights were merely 'Baby Hop' and 'Bunny Hop,' which involved lifting slightly off the ground. At the time, returning a rocket of this size from orbit and landing it seemed "completely crazy," but through these experiments, they confirmed the possibility of vertical landing and were able to concentrate the company's entire engineering capabilities. Since it was uncertain whether landing an object of this size returning from orbit would be possible at the time, the first step was persuading the members within SpaceX.

Lessons Learned from Failure: Falcon 9's Technical Evolution

The development of reusability technology did not proceed smoothly. While Falcon 9 was maintaining a perfect record, it suffered a major shock due to an unexpected failure during 'CRS-7', a cargo resupply mission for NASA. The video recalls the situation at the time as a "wake up call" that shocked everyone. This failure, which involved non-nominal flight such as a confirmed missile black, left a massive task for SpaceX. To solve this, the company had to halt all operations to identify the problem, which led to the challenge of not just resuming flight, but directly bringing the rocket to the landing pad at Cape Canaveral to land it.

The process of increasing technical perfection was a continuous series of sophisticated calculations. This is because the shorter the landing burn during landing, the greater the payload capacity the rocket can carry. Therefore, SpaceX had to constantly push the limits for this purpose. Having confirmed the possibility of 'partial reusability' through Falcon 9, SpaceX is now proceeding with a massive project called Starship to realize 'full reusability' of the entire rocket.

Starship in Extreme Environments, a Future Proven by Data

Recent flight tests of Starship demonstrate extreme physical environments. According to voice recordings, when Starship re-enters the atmosphere at 25 times the speed of sound, all air molecules hit the rocket like 'bullets.' This massive energy is converted into thermal energy that heats the rocket. The video describes the urgent situation where Starship enters the peak heating phase and reaches a plasma state. At this time, the flaps control the vehicle to continue the flight.

The recovery process after flight is also a difficult task. The attempt to recover Starship amidst the rough waves and strong winds near the western coast of Australia is akin to a struggle against nature. The video conveys the difficulty of the recovery process, stating, "It felt as if the rocket wanted to float in the ocean forever." In reality, during the recovery work, they had to fight for tiny victories amidst bad weather with waves 16–18 feet (approximately 5–5.5m) high and strong winds of 40–45 knots. The recovery point was a remote location more than 850 miles away from Dampier.

However, the data obtained through these extreme tests is so important that it is called the "absolute gold of the data." SpaceX believes that even if Starship is floating in the ocean like a giant buoy, the data obtained in this process is the key to completing the full reusability system.