It's really hard to beat chemical rockets for launch. It's not generally understood just how remarkable rocket engines are. They're the most efficient heat en

It's really hard to beat chemical rockets for launch. It's not generally understood just how remarkable rocket engines are. They're the most efficient heat engines we can make. They are orders of magnitude better than other heat engines in power/mass and power/$. Their Isp is fine for launch, particularly for the first stage where most of the propellant is consumed.