Why Falcon Succeeded Where The Shuttle Failed

Two attempts to revolutionise space with cheap, reusable, launch had very different outcomes.

The Falcon 9 rocket has revolutionised space flight in both in terms of cost and flight rate. But it wasn’t the first attempt to do this. The Space Shuttle, as originally conceived, was hoped to achieve as high a launch rate and comparable cost savings as the Falcon, but it did not succeed.

In both their technical aspects and management, these two programs are very different. Both, however, aimed to make space access cheaper by reusing hardware and by flying many payloads each year.

The Shuttle Programs

There was not a single Shuttle program - there were three. The first, from 1972 to 1986, covered the development and initial ramp up of the launch rate, until cut short by the Challenger accident, The second program from 1988 to 2003 was a period of consolidation where the Shuttle was used mainly as a tool of diplomacy with the Russians, but also saw the initial launch of Hubble and its servicing missions. The period 2005-2011 was the winding down, where the Shuttle flew the minimal num…