• Question: How long does it take from designing to launching to make a rocket?

    Asked by 11CSpaldingHS to Anne, Beth, COLFlight, Jon, Tom on 12 Oct 2015.
    • Photo: Columbus Flight Directors

      Columbus Flight Directors answered on 12 Oct 2015:


      Simon: Hi Curie Comets! Good question: How long it takes to design, build, test and launch a rocket really depends on:

      – what you want it to do
      – whether you want to use existing or new technologies
      – how complex it is
      – how much money you have
      – how many people you have to build it

      For rockets that have flown in space today you have ones that have gone through this process relatively quickly: FALCON 9 (5years) and those that have taken considerably longer: VEGA (14years).

      What is your favourite rocket?

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