00:02Reusable rockets are big business and could reshape the space industry.
00:06SpaceX has led the way.
00:08Its partially recyclable Falcon 9 made history in 2015, completing a vertical landing.
00:14And its fully reusable Starship was successfully caught by giant robotic arms as it returned to Earth in 2024.
00:22New challenges have entered the market, including China's private company Landspace.
00:27Last year, Landspace became the first Chinese organization to conduct a fully reusable rocket test.
00:34And although it failed to re-land, it was viewed as a big step forward.
00:38Then there was a second Chinese attempt, this time by a state-owned space firm.
00:43The Long March 12 rocket reached orbit, but the boosted landing fell short.
00:48Now, SpaceX's Falcon had several attempts before success.
00:52The only other company to successfully land a booster back on Earth is Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.
00:58Its New Glenn rocket did so on its second try last year.
01:02Reusable rockets have several benefits.
01:05Reusing expensive parts brings down cost.
01:08Not needing to produce a new vehicle each time allows for more launches.
01:12They enable frequent satellite launches.
01:14Hundreds can be needed a year.
01:16And they can be more environmentally friendly, as debris isn't dropped into the ocean.
01:212026 could be a milestone year for reusable rockets.
01:26Landspace's Duca 3 will make its second attempt at a successful landing.
01:30SpaceX says it's aiming to send its Starship to Mars.
01:34And more companies around the world are aiming for their first test flight with a reusable vehicle,
01:40including several other Chinese firms, such as Space Pioneer.
01:45Dara Patel is a space expert at the UK's National Space Centre.
01:49Dara, welcome to the programme.
01:50So, can reusable rockets transform the space industry?
01:55Yes, absolutely.
01:57So, we've already heard from the piece there,
01:59having reusable rockets means that you can actually increase your launch frequency.
02:04If you're not having to build a new rocket every time,
02:06you can actually get them going up and up more frequently,
02:09and that helps to bring down costs.
02:11We also know that it helps with sustainability,
02:14that we're not providing or polluting kind of the Earth and the Earth environment
02:18with those kind of unspent rocket stages.
02:20Instead, we're catching them to be reused again.
02:23And one of the things that we can also think about is the technological advancement.
02:27In making these reusable rockets,
02:29we're actually developing technologies that can be used in the space industry,
02:33but also beyond it as well.
02:34So, how close are we to reusable rockets becoming the norm in space exploration?
02:41So, we've already seen, you know, in the past decade or so,
02:45partially reusable rockets.
02:46So, we've seen rockets, which are usually multiple stages,
02:50so first stage and upper stage, launching into space.
02:53But what we've mostly seen is partial reusability,
02:56where only part of the rocket comes back and is landed and caught to be reused again.
03:00So, we've got companies like SpaceX, like Blue Origin,
03:05Chinese companies as well, as mentioned in the piece there,
03:08that are already showing or demonstrating these capabilities.
03:11But fully reusable rockets, we're not quite yet there.
03:15So, Starship is being developed.
03:16We've got the Long March rocket from China also being developed.
03:20But it might be another decade or so
03:23before we actually see those fully reusable rockets
03:26becoming much more of the norm
03:28and taking the place of what we think of as expendable rockets instead.
03:32Dara, you mentioned about SpaceX.
03:34They are the market leader when it comes to reusable rockets.
03:38Can China become a major challenger?
03:42I would say that SpaceX is a name that comes to mind
03:45because perhaps they're one of the biggest companies
03:47that almost demonstrated this technology to begin with
03:50or in the earlier parts of this new space era.
03:53But actually, we're seeing many companies
03:55look at the reusable aspect of their rockets.
03:58As mentioned, you know, other private American companies,
04:01the Chinese too.
04:02There are many that are actually actively competing
04:05in this kind of reusable technology.
04:07And while SpaceX perhaps holds or holds a kind of lead
04:11in that development of that technology,
04:13we know that China is definitely rapidly advancing
04:16in its reusable tech.
04:18And it's no secret that they're aiming to be world leaders in this
04:21by the mid-40s, 2040s at least.
04:252026 is seen as a pivotal year for China's space programme.
04:29What excites you about that?
04:32There's so much coming up this year
04:34when it comes to Chinese space and space exploration.
04:37So we've got their Tianwen-2 mission,
04:39which is a mission heading to a kind of near-Earth
04:42or asteroid around in the main asteroid belt.
04:45And it will be hoping to return samples back
04:48from this asteroid to the Earth.
04:49We won't get them back till 2029.
04:51But we know that China is a massive leader
04:54when it comes to sample return missions.
04:56The thing with astronomy is it's a lab outside our reach.
04:59So bringing back space samples is an incredible feat.
05:02We can also look forward to their Chang'e 7 mission,
05:05which will be taking not only a rover and a lander,
05:08but also a small hopper to the south polar region of the Moon.
05:11And kind of doing some of that in-situ kind of resource and testing,
05:16making it possible for us to eventually take humans there.
05:19And it's something that China has stated
05:21that they want to have boots on the Moon by 2030.
05:24And they'll be looking at building
05:26their International Lunar Research Station as well.
05:28So providing very healthy competition
05:31to the international space market.
05:33Thank you, Dara Patel,
05:34space expert at the UK's National Space Centre.
05:37And back to you, Julia.
05:38Thanks, Siobhan.
05:39Really interesting stuff there.
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