Why carrier airpower sustains repeated strikes

What makes aircraft carriers more persistent than missile ships during extended operations?

Carrier aircraft can be rearmed and relaunched repeatedly, while cruise-missile cells are hard to reload at sea and depend on a larger replenishment system.

Missiles are valuable for initial suppression and opening attacks, but a ship cannot readily reload its vertical-launch cells at sea. Aircraft can return, rearm, refuel, and fly repeated strike, air-defense, and support missions. Fleet auxiliaries extend that persistence by transferring aviation fuel and weapons at sea, although even they eventually require ports and adequate numbers of replenishment ships. Carrier fighters also thin an incoming raid before its aircraft release numerous missiles, preserving the finite defensive magazines of the escorts.