I don&#x27;t think the smaller booster is harder. It&#x27;s almost by definition easier. It weighs less, doesn&#x27;t need to reach orbital velocity and can have an engine that throttles all the way down to hover because the MTOW is not that different from it&#x27;s dry weight. Not reaching orbital velocity is the main thing here, it&#x27;s what makes all of this easy in comparison.<p>The solutions they are exploring are many times less complicated and difficult than what SpaceX is doing. Saying otherwise is mischaracterising both of their achievements.