1) Why is it important that the rocket that just landed take off again so soon? I've always had the impression that space missions aren't too frequent.
2) Does transporting the rocket from the ocean back to the launch site cost a lot of money? Is avoiding this a big benefit of the reusable launch system?
Why is it important that the rocket that just landed take off again so soon?
While that's worded in customer benefit, I think the actual reason is supply-side: hovering is costly, and so landing the stages as cheaply as possible implies doing it quickly.
I've always had the impression that space missions aren't too frequent.
This may be because they are so expensive; if reusable rockets decrease the launch costs significantly enough, there may be many more launches.
This thread is for asking any questions that might seem obvious, tangential, silly or what-have-you. Don't be shy, everyone has holes in their knowledge, though the fewer and the smaller we can make them, the better.
Please be respectful of other people's admitting ignorance and don't mock them for it, as they're doing a noble thing.
To any future monthly posters of SQ threads, please remember to add the "stupid_questions" tag.