For older or simpler expendable rockets, what is the typical fate of the spent first stage?
Answer
It falls away, aimed toward an uninhabited ocean patch or follows a ballistic trajectory to burn up.
In the case of older or simpler expendable designs, the spent first stage is not recovered. It either falls into a designated uninhabited area of the ocean or follows a trajectory back to Earth where it disintegrates during high-speed atmospheric re-entry.
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