After successfully reusing the first stage of the Falcon 9, SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk has said that the company is planning to use 100% of the rocket part by the next year.
The first stage of the rocket is said to cover about 75% of the cost. The bottom line of SpaceX’s goal is to provide cheap space travel. This goal took a massive hit last year when the company’s $61 million bet crash landed. Salvaging 100% of the rocket will go a long way in helping Musk’s vision.
This reuse will increase SpaceX’s profit per launch by 50%.
Arianespace CEO however, has said that the full use of the parts would require the company to do 35 to 40 launches in a year. SpaceX has done fewer than 10 launches per year in the last three years.
The current aggressiveness of Musk clearly indicates that he’s aiming for increased launches. Thus our hopes of an interplanetary railroad to travelling to Mars and beyond may not be a far-fetched dream.
The former co-owner of PayPal invested a 100% of his earnings from the sale of the payment gateway on two futuristic projects. Last year when the Falcon 9 crashed, most experts said that the company was heading towards it’s cool. However these turn of events suggests that there might be some life left in the visionary’s dream.
