Re: Not exactly
You can’t avoid the laws of physics. It takes a specific amount of energy to ecclerate the mass of the shuttle to 17500 mph. It should take the same amount of energy to reduce the same mass from 17500 mph to zero regardless of whether you start from orbit or the ground. However returning you should reduce your velocity low enough early on to avoid the atmospheric heating and maintain control so in the long run it might even take more fuel to return. Such a scenario seems ridiculous to begin with so it’s all just wild speculation.