SpaceX set to re-fly a Block 5 rocket for the first time tonight
OK I get that booster reuse cuts down costs, but the fact is the 2nd stage is still not reused, which limits the economic benefits needed to open new markets.  We get a 50% reduction in costs, instead of the 95% reduction in costs.<p>You can get a 50% reduction in costs just by going to India for launch..<p>Is SpaceX going for 2nd stage reuse at all? That's going to be a lot harder than booster stage reuse, since you're returning to land at orbital velocity.<p>And then there's the whole issue of increasing reliability of the 1st stage for reuse hundreds (or thousands) of times needed for new business models...