Originally Posted by
riff_raff
Can someone provide an explanation of why a launch on an expendable SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle could be so much cheaper than other similar launchers?
Because it's designed to be cheap, rather than efficient. The space shuttle had the most efficient engines ever built at that time, which is one reason it was so expensive; because they were so complex, and operated beyond their original design thrust, they cost a lot to build, and they cost a lot to reuse. Another reason was because it required about 10,000 people to operate, whereas SpaceX uses around a tenth as many.
And reusability will massively reduce costs, if they can reuse a stage a few times with minimal refurbishment. If returning the first stage to the launch site cuts 1/3 off the payload, and you can reuse it only twice more without replacing or overhauling the engines, you've nearly halved the cost in $/lb to orbit.