Rockets Then and Now: A Size Comparison

For context, the Moon is about 238,800 miles (384,400 km) from Earth. Elon Musk’s grand vision is ultimately to take the first humans to Mars. At an average distance of about 140 million miles (225 million km), Mars is much farther than we’ve ever gone before. 

As a result, a new generation of rockets is in production — and they are staggeringly huge. Just how big and powerful are they? Here’s a handy comparison of the rockets of yesterday and today. 

Starship

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket — collectively called “Starship” — were designed to fly to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. According to SpaceX, the craft will ultimately be able to carry up to 100 people on long-duration missions to deep space.

If successful, this rocket will take humans farther than ever before. Consequently, it’s the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed — it needs to be to get humans that far from Earth. This beast is a staggering 397 feet (121 meters) tall. And it will be capable of carrying 330,000 pounds (150 metric tons) into space.

That said, SpaceX has yet to complete a successful launch — though they have gotten remarkably close. 

Saturn V

Lunar rockets, as the name implies, are capable of carrying humans to the Moon. To date, NASA’s Saturn V lunar rocket remains the tallest, heaviest, and most powerful rocket ever flown.

It powered the Apollo program and could carry 311,152 pounds (141 metric tons) to space — just about 20,000 pounds (nine metric tons) less than Starship.

From 1967 to 1973, the Saturn V flew 26 astronauts into space and had six successful Moon landings. It’s 363 feet (110 meters) tall — so just 40 feet (11 meters) shy of SpaceX’s Starship. 

Falcon 9

The Falcon 9 is an orbital rocket, meaning it has enough thrust to get people and cargo into Earth’s orbit but no farther (it lacks the thrust needed to get to the Moon). 

In December 2015, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 made history by becoming the first rocket to launch and safely land back on Earth. In so doing, SpaceX brought humanity into the age of reusable rockets. 

The Falcon 9 made history again in 2020 when it became the first commercial rocket to launch humans into orbit — and so SpaceX brought humanity into the age of private spaceflight.

The v1 Falcon 9 rocket was about 180 feet (59 meters) tall. However, today’s Falcon 9 Full Thrust (the third major version of the Falcon 9 family) is about 230 feet (69 meters) tall. 

Soyuz 

Russia’s Soyuz rocket is another orbital rocket designed to carry humans and cargo into orbit. Ultimately, its primary use is resupply missions to the International Space Station. 

There have been several different models since the first Soyuz mission, Kosmos 133, launched in November 1966. However, the average height is about 150 to 160 feet (45 to 48 meters).

New Shepard 

In July of 2021, Jeff Bezos traveled to the edge of space on The New Shepard rocket from Blue Origin. 

This is a suborbital rocket, meaning it doesn’t have big enough engines to get all the way into Earth's orbit. Rather, it’s designed to take tourists to the edge of space. As such, it’s obviously a bit smaller than the orbital rockets, standing just 60 feet (18 meters) high. That’s about the same height as a two-story building. 

Rocket Raccoon

Rocket Raccoon is a fiercely intelligent, genetically engineered raccoon with a knack for heavy weaponry. 

A vital member of the Guardians of the Galaxy (from Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe), he flies in space…but he would have a super hard time getting you there himself. After all, he is just four feet (1.2 meters) tall.