Re: Does NASA save money reusing SRB's?

Rand Simberg wrote: 
There is no simple answer to that question.  It depends largely on the
flight rate.  Few if any existing launch systems currently have a high
enough flight rate to justify reusability.

You seem to be implying that high flight rate favors reuse of strap-on solid boosters; I'm curious as to your reason for this? Usually the main reason for economy of scale comes from the fact that you can use more automation and still cover your fixed costs; and I would have thought the activity of rolling new boosters off a production line, was a lot more amenable to automation than the activity of fishing used boosters out of the sea, shipping them back to the factory, disassembling, cleaning and inspecting etc?

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