I'm sure you've heard the saying, "It's not rocket science," when people want to suggest something isn't very hard. This means that everyone knows developing and launching a rocket is one of the most challenging things humanity has achieved. But what many don’t realize is that landing a rocket is the most difficult part of rocket science. This is why many old rockets didn't even attempt to land a rocket, let alone reuse them for another flight.
In the early days of space exploration, rockets were designed for single use. After delivering their payload, they would fall back to Earth and be destroyed upon reentry or splashdown in the ocean. For example, the Saturn 5 rocket, which powered the Apollo missions to the Moon, was an expendable launch vehicle. Each of its three stages were discarded after use.
The first stage, which provided the initial thrust to escape the Earth's gravity, would fall into the Atlantic Ocean. The second and third stages were either left in orbit or also ended up in the ocean. These practices were standard because the technology to safely land and reuse rockets didn't exist. It wasn’t until recent years that reusable rocket technology began to take shape, primarily driven by SpaceX.
They started making waves with their Falcon 9 rockets. It began in 2015, when SpaceX managed to land a Falcon 9 booster for the first time after launching 11 satellites. This was a game-changer because it proved that rockets could be used more than once, cutting down the cost of space travel.
The process of recovering these boosters involves several methods. For Falcon 9, the booster separates from the second stage after launch, then uses grid fins for steering and re-ignites its engines to slow down, eventually landing on a drone ship at sea or back on land.
Since that first successful landing, SpaceX has been improving their technique. As of 2024, they’ve managed to recover over 200 Falcon 9 boosters. Some of these boosters have been reused up to 20 times, which is a huge achievement. For instance, they recently set a record with a Falcon 9 booster completing its 20th mission during a Starlink launch.
Interestingly, to date, SpaceX has only recovered Falcon 9 boosters using drone ships, not the much larger Starship Super Heavy boosters. The idea of landing a gigantic Super Heavy booster on a drone ship is indeed challenging but not out of reach for SpaceX. They are currently working on making this a reality.
In June, the FAA released a detailed report about SpaceX's plans for Starship at the LC 39A launch site in Florida. This report was a crucial step for SpaceX to obtain an operational license and provided insights into their ambitious future plans, including the Super Heavy launch system designed to advance space exploration significantly. The report highlighted impressive details like Starship's 35 engines and separate towers for integrating and catching the rocket.



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