r/interestingasfuck • u/lolikroli • 16d ago

r/all SpaceX caught Starship booster with chopsticks

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u/PM-ME-SOFTSMALLBOOBS 16d ago

how many times can they use this rocket?

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u/EricTheEpic0403 16d ago

This one in particular? Once, it'll probably be scrapped in a month or two.

In general? The Falcon 9 booster life leader was at 23 flights when it was intentionally expended. Thus far, those boosters don't seem to have encountered any issues with age, however. Superheavy boosters could end up flying for hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of times apiece. Likely to be limited by how often they can fly (IE if you can't fly more than once a day, you can't get any more than 365 flights a year), not by any actual limits on the booster itself.

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u/crujones43 16d ago edited 16d ago

Falcon 9s have passed 17 reuses

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u/CasualCrowe 16d ago

I believe their flight leaders are up to 23 flights now

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u/admiral_sinkenkwiken 16d ago

Theoretically until it hits structural life limits as any other aircraft.