- You're confining the noise to the takeoff zone rather than the entire flight path.
- You're in a vacuum (mostly in LEO) which massively reduces drag and is way more fuel efficient.
- Reentry and landing require no fuel with good planning. Space Shuttle was a glider.
Down sides:
- Atmospheric reentry dissipates a LOT of energy over a short time which introduces risk and complexity.
- You expend a lot of energy getting into orbit or your trajectory which also introduces risk and complexity
- Vacuum has far greater depressurization risks than 35,000ft
Ten minutes at multiple G and an hour in free-fall sounds... fun, kinda? But it also sounds like the kind of thing most people wouldn't tolerate very well.
Especially the sort of older folks who could afford it.
- You're confining the noise to the takeoff zone rather than the entire flight path.
- You're in a vacuum (mostly in LEO) which massively reduces drag and is way more fuel efficient.
- Reentry and landing require no fuel with good planning. Space Shuttle was a glider.
Down sides:
- Atmospheric reentry dissipates a LOT of energy over a short time which introduces risk and complexity.
- You expend a lot of energy getting into orbit or your trajectory which also introduces risk and complexity
- Vacuum has far greater depressurization risks than 35,000ft