Can Neutron Compete With Falcon 9?

Let us delve into the geeky details

Are you excited about Rocket Lab announcing the development of a new cool rocket named Neutron but want some deeper analysis, technical details, and geekery?

At first glance, this rocket doesn’t actually look competitive with Elon Musk’s Falcon 9. Neutron can push 15 tons of cargo into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). However, Falcon 9 can do 22.8 tons.

Wait, so Rocket Lab is developing a rocket less capable than Falcon 9 while Space X is busy making an even more capable rocket, Starship? How does this add up? Maybe this is a much smaller rocket? Nope, the total mass on the landing pad of the two rockets is almost identical. Falcon 9 is 549 tons, and Neutron is 480 tons.

We need to dig deeper to understand why this is an innovative new design with much potential.

In terms of mass and payload the Neutron is between the initial version of Falcon 9 and the current.

Understanding the Rocket Development Process

Building and launching rockets is a risky and complicated business. They have a tendency to explode. Thus comparing the current Falcon 9 payload to the planned payload of Neutron is actually not fair. This is…