For rocket startups in the modern space race, bigger isn't necessarily better. An increasing number of startups are betting on creating launch systems that reuse different rocket components multiple times.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - JANUARY 10: In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launch from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for their fifth official Commercial Resupply (CRS) mission to the orbiting lab on January 10, 2015, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Bloomberg said each startup is working on rockets that can take 500 to 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds) into low Earth orbit. Although that's a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of kilograms carried by SpaceX's Falcon 9, it's enough to transport things to orbit.
From small satellite launch services to satellite servicing and space tourism, rocket startups are rushing in to fill every possible gap of this fresh and exciting ecosystem.
Here are several rocket startups that are either using or designing reusable rockets.
Blue Origin
Unless you count Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, the leaderboard is theoretically complete. The world's richest man is walking away from Amazon's operations to concentrate on what has reportedly been a side hustle for his space startup. From his Amazon stock, Bezos allegedly invested billions in the 21-year-old business since 2016. So far, the company's reusable New Shepard rocket has successfully launched 14 times, with one booster flying seven times in a row.
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China's Space Program
With major missions to the moon and Mars in the last year or so, China's national space program has shown that it can compete with NASA on the big stage. Though reusable rockets are definitely part of the equation, the country's space startup scene is a little less evident. According to SpaceNews, more than $900 million was spent in private Chinese space companies last year.
i-Space earned $172 million in 2020, taking its overall support to $276.5 million. The Beijing-based company founded in 2016 has also announced plans to go public on the Science and Technology Innovation Board, a Chinese market for emerging technology companies. In 2019, the space startup became China's first private venture to successfully launch the Hyperbola-1 rocket, which sent two satellites into orbit. Its most recent attempt failed earlier this year. i-Space, on the other hand, is already working on a reusable version of its Hyperbola-2 launch vehicle. According to SpaceNews, other Chinese space startups working on reusable rocket technology include Landspace, Galactic Energy, and Deep Blue Aerospace.
Orbex
Orbex is a launch provider based in the United Kingdom designing its own reusable rocket for the small satellite industry. The company has raised nearly $64 million in total, including $24 million in December of last year. Orbex dabbles in all that's hot in NewSpace these days. It just finished building Europe's largest industrial 3D printer. It will print more than 35 large-scale rocket engines and main stage turbopump systems each year. A machine vision system is included in the 3D printing platform for automated imaging-based inspection of printed components.
The rocket, dubbed Prime, will be powered by bio-propane, a clean-burning, renewable fuel that emits 90% less CO2 than kerosene-based fuels. It would, of course, be reusable, with no debris in the ocean or Earth's orbit. There's still no word about how the organization plans to pull off the ruse just yet.
Relativity
Relativity Space, headquartered in Los Angeles, was founded in 2016. It has raised $685 million in the capital at a valuation of $2.3 billion. Despite claiming to have the world's largest 3D metal printer, Relativity Space has yet to prove that Terran 1's 3D-printed automation technology is a space-worthy rocket for the small satellite industry. Later this year, the first flight of a rocket with more than 90% of its components 3D printed is expected to respond. In comparison, Rocket Lab mainly 3D printers the Rutherford engines that fuel its Electron rocket and a few other components.
The Terran 1 is expected to lift roughly 4X the weight of its competitor, for about $12 million versus $7 million for a LEO trip aboard the Electron. Despite the lack of a working rocket, Relativity Space is throwing down the gauntlet to SpaceX with plans to create Terran R, a reusable rocket with the same strength and capability as the Falcon 9.
Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab, established in New Zealand 15 years ago, has raised $215 million in funding. The startup company is projected to be worth $4.1 billion when it goes public later this year. Now headquartered in the Los Angeles area, the space startup is the only company other than SpaceX to successfully recover a reusable rocket. Well, once upon a time, but you have to begin somewhere. Unlike SpaceX, which lands the Falcon 9 with propulsion, Rocket Lab's Electron reusable rocket uses a parachute to delay its descent before being captured in mid-flight by a helicopter. Rocket Lab is currently focused on the small satellite market, so the two companies aren't exactly competitors.
However, that may alter with Neutron, a larger reusable rocket that the company plans to launch as soon as 2024. Compared to the Electron rocket, which can lift about 660 pounds into low Earth orbit, it would lift about 17,600 pounds into space (LEO). According to reports, the larger rocket would land on an ocean-based platform and be capable of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station.
SpaceX
Since its inception nearly 20 years ago, SpaceX has raised $6.3 billion in disclosed investment, making it the world's third-most valuable startup at $74 billion. It takes a lot of skill to land a rocket on Earth, let alone on a drone ship at sea named Of Course I Still Love You. Back in the day, Elon Musk gave his business a 50 percent chance of success.
Nonetheless, after launching the technology in 2018, SpaceX has successfully launched about 55 missions onboard reusable rockets. Because of its repeatability, SpaceX doesn't need to develop a large fleet of Falcon 9 rockets to keep up with its ambitious launch schedule. According to Ars Technica, SpaceX has launched a flight every nine days on average in 2021.
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