Editing Reusable launch vehicle (section)

====Vertical (retrograde)====
{{Main|VTVL|Retrorocket|Thrust reversal}}
Systems like the [[McDonnell Douglas DC-X|McDonnell Douglas DC-X (Delta Clipper)]] and those by [[SpaceX]] are examples of a retrograde system.
The boosters of [[Falcon 9]] and [[Falcon Heavy]] land using one of their nine engines. The [[Falcon 9]] rocket is the first orbital rocket to vertically land its first stage on the ground. The first stage of [[SpaceX Starship|Starship]] is planned to land vertically, while the second is to be caught by arms after performing most of the typical steps of a retrograde landing. [[Blue Origin]]'s [[New Shepard]] suborbital rocket also lands vertically back at the launch site.

Retrograde landing typically requires about 10% of the total first stage propellant, reducing the payload that can be carried due to the [[rocket equation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/679114269485436928|title=SpaceX on Twitter|work=Twitter|access-date=January 7, 2016|archive-date=September 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920110637/https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/679114269485436928|url-status=live}}</ref>