Summary Table – Falcon 9
Scenario Estimated Savings
Per-launch savings ~$20–25M (30–50%)
List price reduction (max) ~$37M (≈40%)
Internal per-launch cost $15–28M with reused booster
Break-even point 2 flights reuse
Boosters reused (~30 flights) $450M saved, 70–80% reduction
Fairing reuse Additional multi-million savings
Starship (Full Reusability, Next Gen)
Starship is designed for full reusability of both stages. SpaceX estimates marginal launch cost could drop to 20% or less of the build cost once reuse is mature
SPACE INVESTMENTS
Long-term targets put cost per kilogram to orbit as low as $10–20, a dramatic fall compared to current levels
SPACE INVESTMENTS
Bain & Co. estimates Starship could cut payload launch costs to LEO by up to 80×
The Wall Street Journal
In Summary
Falcon 9 reuse offers substantial savings—20 to 40% per launch, with internal costs as low as $15–30 million.
Break-even on cost happens after just two flights, with significant savings from the third onward.
A single booster reused 30 times can save hundreds of millions of dollars.
Starship promises a quantum leap—full reusability and possibly 80× cost reductions per launch in the future.
