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Tonnage. If you're wanting to move 7/8 figure tonnage loads over a period of time, you're going to need a big trunk.

In space vehicles, that means everything gets really, really big.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payload_fraction

Launch vehicles tend to scale payload capacity at a greater rate than dry mass. So a small launch vehicle like RocketLab's Electron might have a wet mass of 12,000kg at launch and an LEO payload capacity of 225kg (225/12000 ~ 1.8% payload), the SpaceX Falcon9 has a wet mass of 550,000kg and an LEO payload capacity of 22,800kg (22800/550000 ~ 4.1% payload).

This just tends to mean that, very generally and with exceptions, larger vehicles can get mass into space with less fuel.


A Falcon 9 has a LEO payload capacity of 22,800kg in expendable mode, something SpaceX does not like to do. The largest payload mass they've carried to LEO was Starlink-2 at approximately 15,600kg (60 satellites at 227 kg each).


Electron is not reusable, so expandable mode is a fairer comparison.


Maybe, but SpaceX strongly dislikes doing expendable mode, if at all.




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