All Issue

2025 Vol.29, Issue 5 Preview Page

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Economic Analysis of NewSpace Small Launch Vehicles and Small Reusable Launch Vehicles

뉴스페이스 소형발사체와 소형 재사용발사체의 경제성 분석

Keum-Oh Leea*
,
Daeban Seob
,
Hyeonjun Kima
,
Byoungjik Lima
이 금오a*
,
서 대반b
,
김 현준a
,
임 병직a
aSmall Launch Vehicle Research Division, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea
bSchool of Aerospace Engineering, Changwon National University, Korea
*Corresponding Author
31 October 2025. pp. 47-61
PDF XML Citation
Abstract

In this study, we analyzed the structure of the NewSpace small launch vehicles, SpaceX's Falcon 1, Rocket Lab’s Electron, Firefly Aerospace's Alpha, and Relativity Space's Terran 1, and identified the weight and mass ratio of each stage of the small launch vehicles. In addition, through the structure analysis of the Falcon 9, we were able to identify the additional weight of the grid fins and landing legs for first stage reuse, and calculated the additional weight when reusing other small launch vehicles. Based on the previously analyzed reusable launch vehicle with 35-tonf methane staged-combustion cycle engines, the mission of the Korean small reusable launch vehicle was analyzed, and the economic feasibility of the Falcon 9 small reusable launch vehicle was analyzed.

Keywords
Reusable Launch Vehicle
Small Launch Vehicle
Mission Design
NewSpace

본 연구에서는 뉴스페이스 소형발사체인 SpaceX의 Falcon 1, Rocket Lab의 Electron, Firefly Aerospace의 Alpha, 그리고 Relativity Space의 Terran 1 발사체들의 구조를 분석하였으며, 소형발사체의 단 별 중량과 구조비를 파악할 수 있었다. 또한 Falcon 9의 구조 분석을 통하여 1단 재사용을 위한 그리드핀, 착륙 다리 등 추가적인 중량을 파악할 수 있었으며, 다른 소형발사체를 재사용화 하였을 때의 추가되는 중량을 계산하였다. 기존에 분석된 35톤급 메탄 다단연소 사이클 엔진을 사용한 재사용 발사체를 바탕으로 한국형 소형 재사용 발사체들의 임무에 대해 분석하였으며, 이 결과를 통하여 Falcon 9형 소형 재사용 발사체의 경제성을 분석하였다.

키워드
재사용 발사체
소형발사체
임무 설계
뉴스페이스
References
1

Lee, K. O., “An Analysis of Launch Vehicle Development Stretagy of SpaceX,” Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers, Vol. 23, No. 6, 2019, pp. 72-86.

10.6108/KSPE.2019.23.6.072
2

Stephen, C., “SpaceX set to re-fly first Falcon 9 Block 5 booster Tuesday,” Spaceflight Now, Aug. 5, 2018, https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/08/05/spacex-set-to-re-fly-first-falcon-9-block-5-booster-tuesday (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

3

Wikipedia, “Falcon 9,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9 (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

4

Wikipedia, “List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Falcon_9_and_Falcon_Heavy_launches (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

5

Wikipedia, “SpaceX Dragon 2,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon_2 (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

6

Wikipedia, “SpaceX Starship,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

7

Michael Sheetz, “SpaceX catches Starship rocket booster in dramatic landing during fifth flight test,” CNBC, Oct. 13, 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/spacex-starship-rocket-launch-rcna175191 (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

8

Wikipedia, “Rocket Lab Electron,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_Lab_Electron (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

9

Wikipedia, “Rocket Lab Neutron,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_Lab_Neutron (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

10

Wikipedia, “Firefly Aerospace,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_Aerospace (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

11

Wikipedia, “Terran R,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terran_R (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

12

Andrew Jones, “China’s Landspace conducts first VTVL test for reusable stainless steel rocket,” Space News, Jan. 19, 2024, https://spacenews.com/chinas-landspace-conducts-first-vtvl-test-for-reusable-stainless-steel-rocket/ (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

13

Wikipedia, “Reusable launch vehicle,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reusable_launch_vehicle (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

14

Lee, K. O., Lee, J., Park, S. Y., Roh, W. R., Im, S. H., Nam, G. W., and Seo, D., “Korean Reusable Launch Vehicle Development Strategy using SpaceX’s Strategy,” Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers, Vol. 25, No. 3, 2021, pp. 101-112.

10.6108/KSPE.2021.25.3.101
15

Lee, K. O., Seo, D., Lim, B., Lee, J., Park, J., Choi, S., and Lee, K., “Falcon 9 Type Korean RLV and GTO-LV Mission Design,” Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2022, pp. 32-42.

10.6108/KSPE.2022.26.3.032
16

Lee, K. O., Seo, D., and Lee, J., “Comparison of Economic Feasibility of Falcon 9 Type Methane Launch Vehicle and Kerosene Launch Vehicle,” The Fall Conference of The Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, Jeju, Korea, pp. 438-439, Nov. 2022.

17

Lee, K. O., Seo, D. Kim, H., Kim, C., Choi, S. H. Park, J., and Lee, K., “Conceptual Design and Economic Analysis of Falcon 9 Type Methane Reusable Launch Vehicle,” Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2024, pp. 83-96.

10.6108/KSPE.2024.28.2.083
18

Wikipedia, “Falcon 1,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_1 (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

19

Lee, K. O., Kim, D. J., Park, S. Y., and Lee, K., “An Analysis of Stretegies of Engine Development of SpaceX,” The Fall Conference of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers, Busan, Korea, pp. 249-257, Dec. 2018.

20

Bjelde, B., Vozoff, M., and Shotwell, G., “The Falcon 1 Launch Vehicle: Demonstration Flights, Status, Manifest, and Upgrade Path,” 21st Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites: Its the Mission that Matters, SSC07-III-6, AIAA, 2007.

21

Space Exploration Technologies, “Falcon 1 Launch Vehicle Payload User’s Guide,” Rev. 7, 2008.

22

Rocket Lab USA, “Electron Payload User’s Guide,” Ver. 7.0, Nov. 2022.

23

Reddit, “r/RocketLab,” Reddit Inc., https://www.reddit.com/r/RocketLab/wiki/vehicles/ (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

24

Space Exploration, “r/RocketLab,” Stake Exchange Inc., https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/48707/what-is-the-mass-of-the-electron-rockets-battery-pack (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

25

Wikipedia, “Firefly Alpha,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_Alpha (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

26

Firefly Aerospace, “Alpha Payload User’s Guide,” Ver. 3.1, Apr. 2022.

27

Firefly Aerospace, “Alpha Payload User’s Guide,” Ver. 5.0, Oct. 2024.

28

Lee, K. O., Lim, B., Lee, J., Park, J., Lee, K., and Park, J., “New Space 3D Printing Rocket Engine Development Trends,” Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2023, pp. 64-77.

10.6108/KSPE.2023.27.3.063
29

Relativity Space, “GLHF Mission,” X.com, https://x.com/relativityspace/status/1593708222950481921 (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

30

Wikipedia, “Terran 1,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terran_1 (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

31

Relativity Space, “The First 3D Printed Rocket,” Relativity Space, https://www.relativityspace.com/glhf (accessed Nov. 7._2024)

32

Relativity Space, “Terran 1 Payload User’s Guide,” Ver. 2.0, Relativity Space, Aug. 2020.

33

Karthik Naren, “New commercial rocket, Terran-1 to debut on March 8,” Space Intelligence, Mar 8. 2023, https://www.spaceintel101.com/post/new-commercial-rocket-terran-1-to-debut-on-march-8 (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

34

SpaceX, “Falcon 9,” SpaceX, Apr. 30, 2016, https://web.archive.org/web/20160430225324/, http://www.spacex.com/falcon9. (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

35

SpaceX, “Falcon User’s Guide,” SpaceX, Sep. 2021.

36

Roh, W. R., Kim J. Y., and Min B. J., “Trajectory Design and Velocity Impulse Analysis of Reusable Launch Vehicles,” The Spring Conference of The Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, Sol Beach Resort, Samcheok, Gangwon-do, Korea, pp. 160-162, Apr. 2017.

37

Lee, J., Lee, K. O., and Park, S. Y., “Technology Breakdown of Reusable Launch Vehicle Structure through Falcon 9 Benchmarking,” The Fall Conference of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers, Busan, Korea, pp. 327-332, Nov. 2020.

38

Krishna, S., “Everything to know about SpaceX's mid-air booster catch,” Oct. 17, 2024, Ad Astra, https://www.adastraspace.com/p/spacex-super-heavy-catch (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

39

Space Exploration, “Why Did Starship 3 launch with its Hypersonic Grid Fins fully deployed?,” Stake Exchange, https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/65664/why-did-starship-3-launch-with-its-hypersonic-grid-fins-fully-deployed (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

40

Quora, “How big are the landing legs on a Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket?,” Quora, https://www.quora.com/How-big-are-the-landing-legs-on-a-Falcon-9-SpaceX-rocket (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

41

Reddit, “First grid fin has been removed from the 3x flown Falcon 9 standing at port of LA,” Reddit Inc., https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/a4eo12/first_grid_fin_has_been_removed_from_the_3x_flown/ (accessed_Nov. 7._2024)

42

Lionnet, P., “SpaceX and the categorical imperative to achieve low launch cost,” SpaceNews, Jun. 7, 2024, https://spacenews.com/spacex-and-the-categorical-imperative-to-achieve-low-launch-cost/ (accessed Nov. 7. 2024)

Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국추진공학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국추진공학회지
  • Volume : 29
  • No :5
  • Pages :47-61
  • Received Date : 2024-12-10
  • Revised Date : 2025-05-27
  • Accepted Date : 2025-06-10
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.6108/KSPE.2025.29.5.047
Journal Informaiton Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
Online Submission
Archives
: Vol.1 No.1, 1997~
  • NRF
  • KOFST
  • crossref crossmark
  • crossref cited-by
  • crossref funder-registry
  • crosscheck
  • orcid
  • open access
  • ccl
Journal Informaiton Journal Informaiton - close