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r2k-in-the-vortex t1_jdlrzy8 wrote

Reply to comment by Kaz_55 in An ESA advisory committee has recommended Europe should independently develop its own space station when the ISS retires, and develop its own lunar base independently of NASA's Artemis plans. by lughnasadh

Falcon did 61 launches last year. No matter what you are fan of, you got to respect that tonnage and revenue. Starship is going to go a giant leap beyond that within few years. The only limit is finding enough payloads.

Yes, reuse is absolutely mandatory if you plan to play on the level field with that. Reuse, or learn to build new orbital rocket each week in perpetuity on the cheap, good luck with that.

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Kaz_55 t1_jdlu0b6 wrote

>Yes, reuse is absolutely mandatory if you plan to play on the level field with that. Reuse, or learn to build new orbital rocket each week in perpetuity on the cheap, good luck with that.

No it's not. Reuse itself puts a tight limit on your launch capacity, and SpaceX regularely expends boosters. Reuse is entirely optional, and speculating about a "a level playing field" without even knowing how reusability impacts SpaceX financially is pretty misleading.

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