Yes! Every kg used for legs is a kg not used for cargo... (And worse because the legs have to be carried up and down while the cargo only has to go up.)
>Surely the same energy reflection happens on launch.
Don't the launchpads have systems in place to prevent that? Eg the sound suppression system where they basically spray water into the air to absorb the sound. Does the landing pad have that?
Now that I think about it, why land upright at all? You could do a gentle controlled touchdown in a water pool and slowly tilt to horizontal with a minor splash, like the previous Starship.
I do believe it's mostly the legs, but to the first point, on launch you don't have the vacuum engine bells exposed to this. Or second stage at all, where weight matters much more, so any extra shielding you don't need is good.
I would imagine it’s the weight savings of not having to carry thousands of pounds worth of landing legs onboard the rocket.
Don't the launchpads have systems in place to prevent that? Eg the sound suppression system where they basically spray water into the air to absorb the sound. Does the landing pad have that?