this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2025
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A capsule design will likely never be fully reusable, since it doesn't allow you to shield the second stage engine(s), propellant tanks and anything else that usually goes in the trunk section. For a fully reusable design, you need to go with either a spaceplane or whatever it is that we're calling the Starship's cylinder-with-control-surfaces design.
EDIT: Looked into Stoke's design a little more. It's a fascinating idea and I will be looking forward to test launches!
There's one more option - propulsive re-entry. You point your big engines retrograde and burn until your velocity is effectively zero, then descend on a <1g burn. Won't need heat shields if you don't have to endure re-entry heat. But this ain't happening until we develop ludicrously more efficient high thrust engines and orbital fuel production.