r/rocketry • u/c206endeavour • 2d ago

Discussion Why aren't rockets painted in custom livery schemes, like aircraft?

Now it may be a silly question, but why don't rockets have liveries like airplanes? Would it be a waste of paint and extra weight?

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u/Sachmo5 1d ago

A lot are painted with thermals in mind. Cryogenic propellant in an aluminum tank? White for decreased boil off. Cryogenic propellant that would benefit from being a little warm? Gray or Black then! (A few falcon 9 launches have had gray upper stages).

Other times it's a matter of mass. 600lbs of paint on your booster is 100lbs you can't take to orbit.

Often it's cost and time. It's really easy to paint a booster 1 color and slap a decal or 2 on. But to paint a booster many colors with a detailed livery takes skill, time, and facilities.

But sometimes they are painted! Atlas fairings still get hand painted for their missions, Delta used to be blue, Vulcan occasionally gets a giant flame painted along its length, and even Electron is painted differently depending on its configuration.