Editing Reusable launch vehicle (section)

==Configurations==
Reusable launch systems may be either fully or partially reusable.

=== Fully reusable launch vehicle ===
Several companies are currently developing fully reusable launch vehicles as of January 2025. Each of them is working on a [[two-stage-to-orbit]] system. [[SpaceX]] is testing [[SpaceX Starship|Starship]], which has been in development since 2016 and has made [[Starship flight test 1|an initial test flight]] in April 2023<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wattles |first=Jackie |last2=Strickland |first2=Ashley |date=2023-04-20 |title=SpaceX's Starship rocket lifts off for inaugural test flight but explodes midair |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/20/world/spacex-starship-launch-thursday-scn/index.html |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> and a total of 9 flights as of May 2025. [[Blue Origin]], with [[Project Jarvis]], began development work by early 2021, but has announced no date for testing and have not discussed the project publicly.<ref name=ars20210727>{{cite news |title=Blue Origin has a secret project named "Jarvis" to compete with SpaceX |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07/blue-origin-is-developing-reusable-second-stage-other-advanced-projects/ |last=Berger |first=Eric |work=[[Ars Technica]] |date=27 July 2021 |access-date=31 July 2021 |archive-date=30 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730113522/https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07/blue-origin-is-developing-reusable-second-stage-other-advanced-projects/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Stoke Space]] is also developing a rocket which is planned to be reusable.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-15 |title=STOKE Space Raises $65M Series A to Make Space Access Sustainable and Scalable |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211215005168/en/STOKE-Space-Raises-65M-Series-A-to-Make-Space-Access-Sustainable-and-Scalable |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=www.businesswire.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sesnic |first=Trevor |last2=Volosín |first2=Juan I. Morales |date=2023-02-04 |title=Full Reusability By Stoke Space |url=https://everydayastronaut.com/stoke-space/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=Everyday Astronaut |language=en-US}}</ref>

{{as of|2025|01}}, Starship is the only [[launch vehicle]] intended to be fully reusable that has been fully built and tested. The [[Starship_flight_test_5|fifth test flight]] was on October 13, 2024, in which the vehicle completed a suborbital launch and landed both stages for the second time. The [[SpaceX Super Heavy|Super Heavy]] booster was caught successfully by the "chopstick system" on Orbital Pad A for the first time. The Ship completed its second successful reentry and returned for a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The test marked the second instance that could be considered meeting all requirements to be fully reusable.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-06 |title=SpaceX Flies IFT-4, Achieves Super Heavy, Starship Controlled Splashdowns - AmericaSpace |url=https://www.americaspace.com/2024/06/06/spacex-flies-ift-4-achieves-super-heavy-starship-splashdowns/ |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=www.americaspace.com |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2024|talk=Starship IFT-4 and full re-usability}}

=== Partially reusable launch systems ===
Partial reusable launch systems, in the form of multiple stage to orbit systems have been so far the only reusable configurations in use.

==== Specific component reuse ====
The historic [[Space Shuttle]] reused its [[Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster|Solid Rocket Boosters]], its [[RS-25]] engines and the [[Space Shuttle orbiter]] that acted as an orbital insertion stage, but it did not reuse the [[External Tank]] that fed the RS-25 engines. This is an example of a reusable launch system which reuses specific components of rockets. [[United Launch Alliance|ULA’s]] [[Vulcan Centaur]] was originally designed to reuse the first stage engines, while the tank is expended. The engines would splashdown on an inflatable [[aeroshell]], then be recovered. On 23 February 2024, one of the nine Merlin engines a powering a [[Falcon 9 ]] launched for the 22nd time, making it the most reused liquid fuel engine used in an operational manner, having already surpassed [[Space Shuttle Main Engine]] number 2019's record of 19 flights.

==== Liftoff stages ====
As of 2024, [[Falcon 9]] and [[Falcon Heavy]] are the only orbital rockets to reuse their boosters, although multiple other systems are in development. All aircraft-launched rockets reuse the aircraft.

Other than that a range of [[Non-rocket launch|non-rocket liftoff systems]] have been proposed and explored over time as reusable systems for liftoff, from balloons<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Reyes|first1=Tim|title=Balloon launcher Zero2Infinity Sets Its Sights to the Stars|journal=Universe Today|date=October 17, 2014|url=http://www.universetoday.com/115391/balloon-launcher-zero2infinity-sets-its-sights-to-the-stars/|access-date=9 July 2015|archive-date=13 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413123411/http://www.universetoday.com/115391/balloon-launcher-zero2infinity-sets-its-sights-to-the-stars/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{relevance inline|date=October 2020}}<!-- it is unclear about how this space launch technology relates to ''reusable'' launch vehicles.  No work seems to be going on to build/test any "non-rocket spacelaunch" technologies to survive atmospheric reentry and thus become reusable. --> to [[space elevator]]s. Existing examples are systems which employ winged horizontal jet-engine powered liftoff. Such aircraft can [[air launch]] expendable rockets and can because of that be considered partially reusable systems if the aircraft is thought of as the first stage of the launch vehicle. An example of this configuration is the [[Orbital Sciences Pegasus]]. For suborbital flight the [[SpaceShipTwo]] uses for liftoff a carrier plane, its [[mothership]] the [[Scaled Composites White Knight Two]]. Rocket Lab is working on [[Rocket Lab Neutron|Neutron]], and the [[European Space Agency]] is working on [[Themis programme|Themis]]. Both vehicles are planned to recover the first stage.<ref>{{cite web |date=15 December 2020 |title=ESA plans demonstration of a reusable rocket stage |url=https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/ESA_plans_demonstration_of_a_reusable_rocket_stage}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=26 June 2023 |title=Everything you need to know about Themis |url=https://europeanspaceflight.substack.com/p/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ddb}}</ref>

==== Orbital insertion stages ====
So far, most launch systems achieve [[orbital insertion]] with at least partially expended [[multistaged rocket]]s, particularly with the second and third stages. Only the [[Space Shuttle]] has achieved a reuse of the orbital insertion stage, by using the engines and fuel tank of [[Space Shuttle orbiter|its orbiter]]. The [[Buran (spacecraft)|Buran spaceplane]] and [[Starship spacecraft]] are two other reusable spacecraft that were designed to be able to act as orbital insertion stages and have been produced, however the former only made one uncrewed test flight before the project was cancelled, and the latter is not yet operational, having completed [[List of Starship launches|eight suborbital test flights]], as of April 2025, which achieved all of its mission objectives at the fourth flight.

=== Reusable spacecraft ===
{{Main|Reusable spacecraft}}

Launch systems can be combined with reusable spaceplanes or capsules. The [[Space Shuttle orbiter]], [[SpaceShipTwo]], Dawn Mk-II Aurora, and the under-development Indian [[RLV-TD]] are examples for a reusable space vehicle (a [[spaceplane]]) as well as a part of its launch system.

More contemporarily the [[Falcon 9]] launch system has carried reusable vehicles such as the [[Dragon 2]] and [[X-37]].

Contemporary reusable orbital vehicles include the X-37, the [[Dream Chaser]], the Dragon 2, the Indian RLV-TD and the upcoming European [[Space Rider]] (successor to the [[IXV]]).

As with launch vehicles, all pure spacecraft during the early decades of human capacity to achieve spaceflight<!-- late 1950s through early 2010s --> were designed to be single-use items.  This was true both for [[satellite]]s and [[space probes]] intended to be left in space for a long time, as well as any object designed to return to Earth such as [[human spaceflight|human-carrying]] [[space capsule]]s or the sample return canisters of space matter collection missions like [[Stardust (spacecraft)|Stardust]] (1999–2006)<ref name=newscientist20060115>{{cite news |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8586-pinch-of-comet-dust-lands-safely-on-earth/ |title=Pinch of comet dust lands safely on Earth |work=New Scientist |first=Hazel |last=Muir |date=15 January 2006 |access-date=20 January 2018 |archive-date=21 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121184644/https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8586-pinch-of-comet-dust-lands-safely-on-earth/ |url-status=live }}</ref> or [[Hayabusa]] (2005–2010).<ref name=indyposted201006>{{Cite web|url=http://indyposted.com/27014/mission-accomplished-for-japans-asteroid-explorer-hayabusa/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616232222/http://indyposted.com/27014/mission-accomplished-for-japans-asteroid-explorer-hayabusa/|url-status=dead|title=Mission Accomplished For Japan's Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa|archivedate=June 16, 2010}}</ref><ref name=sdc20100613>{{cite news |url=http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/hayabusa-asteroid-probe-landing-preview-100613.html |title=Space Probe, Perhaps with a Chunk of Asteroid, Returns to Earth Sunday |work=[[Space.com]] |date=13 June 2010 |access-date=13 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616062115/http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/hayabusa-asteroid-probe-landing-preview-100613.html |archive-date=16 June 2010 }}</ref>  Exceptions to the general rule for space vehicles were the US [[Gemini SC-2]], the [[Soviet Union]] spacecraft [[VA spacecraft|Vozvraschaemyi Apparat (VA)]], the US [[Space Shuttle orbiter]] (mid-1970s-2011, with 135 flights between 1981 and 2011) and the Soviet [[Buran (spacecraft)|Buran]] (1980-1988, with just one uncrewed test flight in 1988).  Both of these spaceships were also an integral part of the launch system (providing launch acceleration) as well as operating as medium-duration spaceships in [[orbital spaceflight|space]].  This began to change in the mid-2010s.

In the 2010s, the [[Commercial Resupply Services|space transport cargo capsule]] from one of the suppliers resupplying the [[International Space Station]] was designed for reuse, and after 2017,<ref name="Dragon_reused">{{cite web|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/03/cargo-manifest-for-spacexs-11th-resupply-mission-to-the-space-station/|title=Cargo manifest for SpaceX's 11th resupply mission to the space station|publisher=Spaceflight Now|last=Clark|first=Stephen|access-date=3 June 2017|archive-date=9 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809111921/https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/03/cargo-manifest-for-spacexs-11th-resupply-mission-to-the-space-station/|url-status=live}}</ref> NASA began to allow the reuse of the SpaceX [[Dragon 1|Dragon cargo spacecraft]] on these NASA-contracted transport routes. This was the beginning of design and operation of a '''reusable space vehicle'''<!-- bolded per [[WP:MOSBOLD]] as a redirect target -->.

The [[Boeing Starliner]] capsules also reduce their fall speed with parachutes and deploy an airbag shortly before touchdown on the ground, in order to retrieve and reuse the vehicle.

{{as of|2021}}, SpaceX is building and testing the [[SpaceX Starship|Starship]] spaceship to be capable of surviving multiple [[hypersonic]] [[atmospheric reentry|reentries through the atmosphere]] so that they become truly reusable long-duration spaceships; no Starship operational flights have yet occurred.