There is no practical (cost effective) purpose to landing a rocket vertically, but it sure captures the attention of John Q. Public.
“There is no practical (cost effective) purpose to landing a rocket vertically, but it sure captures the attention of John Q. Public.”
I am not sure that I would consider the Dragon capsule a “rocket” as it does not ascend into space on the thrusters used to land. Be that as it may, what data are you using to make the claim?
All landings require a cost. Why is a thruster assisted landing necessarily more expensive than other types?