SpaceX making history with reusable rockets

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - SpaceX made history earlier this month. A Falcon 9 rocket was the first to launch nine missions and could push expectations with a 10th flight in the near future, possibly within a month or two.

"It was a personal mission of Elon Musk that it made no sense to be throwing away rockets, which is how we always have done it," said Dale Ketcham, vice president of Space Florida. 

Ketcham says the number one advantage to reusable rockets is how much cheaper they are in the long run.

"The analogy that is always used is it wouldn't make sense to fly from Orlando to Los Angeles and throw away the plane. The idea is this is an expensive piece of equipment, so let’s keep reusing it," Ketcham said.

Reaching 10 flights would check a big box set by SpaceX after developing the vehicle for reuse about three years ago. Ketcham says the agency's progress has even caught international attention.

"You have the Europeans and the Chinese and everybody else is really trying to capture that because they have recognized that this is how business needs to be done if you are going to compete."

He added, "SpaceX is the ones disrupting the industry and driving everyone to what they are able to do now," Ketcham said.

Another long-term goal for SpaceX that would push limits, a 24-hour turnaround for rocket launches.