[Campion]

NASA said once that if we wanted to we’d have to start from scratch and it would take something like 25 years. To which many, myself included, asked “wait, why did it only take like 8 years in the 60?

I don't know where the 25 year number came from, but it depends heavily on how much money you're willing to spend and how fast you're willing to spend it.

It took longer than 8 years the first time, BTW. The Saturn V was in the planning phase in the late 1950's. It was easily 12 years from the beginning of the R&D to the first landing.

Why can't we build one again? Well, in part because the Saturn V is very old technology which was mostly hand-assembled by skilled craftsmen. We don't build stuff that way anymore, and we could build a much better rocket for much less money by using modern technology, computer-aided design, etc.

I said "less money," though, not "for free".

[PapaBear3625]

Why can't we build one again? Well, in part because the Saturn V is very old technology which was mostly hand-assembled by skilled craftsmen. We don't build stuff that way anymore, and we could build a much better rocket for much less money by using modern technology, computer-aided design, etc.

Saturn V had a thrust of 35MN. The SpaceX Falcon Heavy is a little under 23MN. The SpaceX BFR (renamed to Starship), due to go into service next year, will be 61MN, almost twice the Saturn V (all figures from wiki)