I think if you step back and think about this you&#x27;ll see there isn&#x27;t really a paradox here.<p>SpaceX makes revenue on launches, if we assume that they make a profit on launches, then more launches means more money. None of that requires that their rockets are re-usable.<p>When they they are &quot;Category 3&quot; certified[1], other customers treat that like a reason to trust them with more valuable payloads and so more business will come their way as well.<p>So SpaceX works on growing and investing without re-usability. And when when you add resuable boosters to the supply, its like kicking on the after burner of profitability. You can now launch something for half the cost and make more margin, or at the same cost and make huuuge margins. If you get to <i>that</i> point, then you have a really strong competitive advantage against older competitors.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;spaceflightnow.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;05&#x2F;15&#x2F;spacex-gets-certified-to-launch-nasa-science-missions&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;spaceflightnow.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;05&#x2F;15&#x2F;spacex-gets-certified-t...</a>