Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Whether you like SpaceX or not, we can all agree on one thing — SpaceX has completely changed how rockets are launched.
We all know how it used to be. In the old days, rockets were single-use machines. They launched their payloads into space and then fell back to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere or crashing into the ocean. Every mission required building a new rocket from scratch and this process was incredibly expensive.
Then SpaceX came along and flipped the entire system upside down. Instead of throwing rockets away after one flight, they made them reusable. That idea sounded insane at first — even NASA couldn’t achieve it with their traditional designs.
And the thing is — we’re not even talking about “old” rockets. Even many of the latest ones today are still single use. NASA’s newest and most expensive rocket, the Space Launch System, follows the exact same principle as rockets from the 1960s. The SLS core stage uses the same engines used on the Space Shuttle — except unlike the Shuttle, which reused its engines, the SLS throws them away after every flight.
Four of these engines, each worth around $100 million, are dumped into the ocean with every launch. A single SLS launch costs over $4 billion, and once it’s done, the entire system is gone. It’s like launching a 747 airplane and letting it crash after one flight.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has been doing the exact opposite. For example, the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage separates from the second stage once it lifts off. Instead of being discarded, it performs a flip maneuver, reignites some of its engines, and begins a controlled descent back to Earth.
Whether you like SpaceX or not, we can all agree on one thing — SpaceX has completely changed how rockets are launched.
We all know how it used to be. In the old days, rockets were single-use machines. They launched their payloads into space and then fell back to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere or crashing into the ocean. Every mission required building a new rocket from scratch and this process was incredibly expensive.
Then SpaceX came along and flipped the entire system upside down. Instead of throwing rockets away after one flight, they made them reusable. That idea sounded insane at first — even NASA couldn’t achieve it with their traditional designs.
And the thing is — we’re not even talking about “old” rockets. Even many of the latest ones today are still single use. NASA’s newest and most expensive rocket, the Space Launch System, follows the exact same principle as rockets from the 1960s. The SLS core stage uses the same engines used on the Space Shuttle — except unlike the Shuttle, which reused its engines, the SLS throws them away after every flight.
Four of these engines, each worth around $100 million, are dumped into the ocean with every launch. A single SLS launch costs over $4 billion, and once it’s done, the entire system is gone. It’s like launching a 747 airplane and letting it crash after one flight.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has been doing the exact opposite. For example, the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage separates from the second stage once it lifts off. Instead of being discarded, it performs a flip maneuver, reignites some of its engines, and begins a controlled descent back to Earth.
