Each launch costs hundreds of millions of dollars. The cost of bringing the rocket down in a targeted way can be substantial, in terms of R&D, fuel, and missio

Each launch costs hundreds of millions of dollars. The cost of bringing the rocket down in a targeted way can be substantial, in terms of R&D, fuel, and mission constraints. And the risk is absolutely minuscule: Exactly one person has ever been hit by orbital rocket debris after tens of thousands of launches over more than half a century, and it was a tiny piece (which is usually all that survives re-entry) that didn't cause injury: https://theconversation.com/space-debris-is-coming-down-more-frequently-what-are-the-chances-it-could-hit-someone-or-damage-property-188062 https://theconversation.com/space-debris-is-coming-down-more... And of course, the launching nation is responsible for compensating anyone injured or who has property damaged by space debris, and paying for clean-up.