SpaceX is saving a ton of money by re-using Falcon 9 rockets

SpaceX is saving a ton of money by re-using Falcon 9 rockets

SpaceX is deep into the development of reusable rockets to slash launch costs for future missions, so one has to wonder how much its historic SES-10 mission saved.
At the 33rd Space Symposium in Colorado, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell has revealed that the company spent "substantially less than half" the cost of a new first stage for the Falcon 9 reflight.
While she didn't mention specific figures, that means huge savings, since the rocket's first stage accounts for around 75 to 80 of its total cost. Shotwell said the private space corporation managed to save money even though it did a lot of work examining and refurbishing the flight-proven booster.
SpaceX expects those cost savings to grow, since they won't do as much work on future recovered rockets as they did for the SES-10 launch.

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