Elon Musk Tells Rocket Makers: 'Go All-In On Reusability Or Be Utterly Uncompetitive'

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday noted the two options available at hand for rocket manufacturers- either go all-in on reusability or risk being uncompetitive.

What Happened: Rockets are no different from other transport technologies, Musk noted. “Just harder to make reusable.”

“No one would buy a single-use airplane, car or even bicycle! You'd need to tow another car just for the return trip,” Musk added with a laugh. The CEO was responding to space journalist Eric Berger who remarked how French aerospace company ArianeGroup is not serious about reusability.

As per a media report, Ariane Group’s unit MaiaSpace spent EUR 3.5 million (about $3.9 million) in the first year of operation till December end. MaiaSpace was founded in 2022 with the aim of developing a reusable microlauncher called Maia as a possible competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

Berger noted that the amount spent by Maiaspace is rather negligible to enable a reusable launch vehicle. “That buys you a few PowerPoints and some coffee for the office. It does not get you meaningfully toward reusable launch,” Berger said.

Why It Matters: SpaceX aims to make its rockets reusable in a bid to bring down the cost of spaceflight. Earlier this month, the rocket manufacturer launched one of its Falcon 9 boosters for the 16th time. The Falcon 9 is the first orbital class rocket capable of reflight.

SpaceX has completed 182 reflights in total thus far. Musk’s dream project aimed at landing people on Mars- the Starship– is also a fully usable transportation system.

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