Analysis of the development of reusable launch vehicle technology

Abstract

Nowadays, with the development of the space technology and the maturity of traditional launch vehicle technology, there are sufficient foundations for the research of higher-level space vehicles. As space vehicles gradually enter the commercial market, the demand for better cost control and higher carry capacity has been put forward. The recovery and reuse of space vehicles, especially launch vehicle, often means higher resource utilization and effective cost control, which has unprecedented advantages in business mode. Many countries and organizations have shown concern about the reusable vehicles. In order to facilitate the further research of reusable rocket technology, this article summaries the research and developments of reusable vehicles over the years and sorts out the overall scheme and key technologies of it. In particular, in view of the successful case of Falcon 9, this article analyses the commercialization experience of SpaceX reusable rockets and its business model. This article may offer a reference for the reusable rocket technology development.