Orbital rockets are less forgiving than reactors in that they operate closer to engineering limits even when they work correctly. They are more difficult to mak

Orbital rockets are less forgiving than reactors in that they operate closer to engineering limits even when they work correctly. They are more difficult to make reliable. But they have a far more forgiving-to-neighbors failure mode. When a SpaceX test vehicle explodes only SpaceX is harmed. With reactors you can't start by testing a design that spontaneously disassembles itself and iterate toward a reliable one like the organizations that build rockets have done.