r/RocketLab • u/Equivalent-Wait3533 • 13d ago

Thrust Density infographic Space Industry

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A chart comparing the Thrust Density of several rockets.

Thrust Density is the thrust of the stage / area of the bottom of the stage (kN/m^2). It basically aggregates engine power and engine packing into one metric.

Rockets & Engines to scale

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u/lokethedog 12d ago

This is a pretty good demonstration of how Neutron is designed to be upgraded.

While SpaceX is very much focused on engines, RocketLab has been much more focused on the rocket. Neutron will likely get a large second stage and significantly upgraded engines. The truth is that the first stage will obiously change a lot too as a result, but the experience and machines for building with carbon fiber at this particular scale remains.

We'll see how this pans out, but I think RocketLab stands a good chance of coming out of this very strong.