ELI5. If the weight of rocket fuel is so important, why do SpaceX boosters waste a ton of fuel landing themselves?
In: Engineering
Not only does it decrease payload capacity, but what people are missing is the maintenance inspection/part/labor/transportation cost on these boosters (after experiencing significant thermal and stress loading from launch/reentry). It’s like if you got in an accident and totaled your car but it still drives. Would you spend more money to repair your car, or just buy a new one? Luckily if you’re SpaceX you can afford to eat the cost of the repair.
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