The competition in commercial space has shifted from "successful launch" to "low-cost reusability", with material selection emerging as a key breakthrough. Recently, the material iteration of reusable rockets has attracted industry attention, evolving from traditional carbon fiber and aluminum-lithium alloy to today's stainless steel dominance, achieving a remarkable 97% cost reduction.
    Reusable rockets must overcome three key thresholds: extreme environment adaptability, reusability durability, and cost-controllable mass production. Currently, 304L/30X stainless steel has become the mainstream for rocket structures due to its low cost of $3 per kilogram (only 1/45 of carbon fiber), wide temperature resistance range from -196°C to 1000°C, and mature mass production technology. Nickel-based superalloys are used for core engine components, and ceramic matrix composites for nozzle extensions, forming a hybrid system of "low-cost main body + high-performance core".
    Benchmark models such as SpaceX Starship and LandSpace Zhuque-3 have achieved designs for more than 20 reuses, with the cost per launch expected to drop to the ten-million-yuan level. This material revolution has restructured the space selection logic, bringing regular space travel closer to reality.

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