Reusable Launch Vehicle

A reusable launch vehicle has parts that can be recovered and reflown while carrying payloads from the surface to outer space. The cited article says rocket stages are the most common parts aimed for reuse, that smaller parts such as fairings, boosters or rocket engines can also be reused, and that reusable spacecraft may be launched on top of an expendable launch vehicle. Reusing parts means they do not need to be made for each launch, reducing launch cost significantly, although the benefit can be diminished by the cost of recovery and refurbishment, and reusable vehicles may carry additional avionics and propellant that make them heavier than expendable counterparts. Launch vehicles of this class are grouped under this concept.