Outer space

Why Doesn’t Air Force Use Cheap, Reusable Rockets?

The Pentagon is more focused on the supremacy of U.S. satellite technology than how the spacecraft are vaulted into space, at least for now, an official said.

That’s one of the reasons military hasn’t yet bought into reusable rocket technology that some experts say could save the department significant cash.

During an event Monday hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies, Douglas Loverro, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, was asked how the department might encourage the Air Force to move forward with innovative, reusable rocket technology, instead of the service launching rockets every few months on an expendable — and expensive — vehicle.